


Primum, Non Nocere

by ladyredms



Category: Left 4 Dead (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Closeted Ellis, Doctor/Patient, M/M, Minor Original Character(s), No Apocalypse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-02
Updated: 2020-11-13
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:06:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 32,707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22995907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladyredms/pseuds/ladyredms
Summary: When Dr. Nicolas Soretto bought a tiny private practice in the outskirts of Savannah, Georgia, he expected a quiet setting with little activity and excitement. Little did he know, two injury-prone locals lived a few miles down the road, and they breathed activity and excitement.The first time Keith showed up, bearing a distressing number of fish-hooks jutting from his shoulders and shouting about Criss Angel, he considered packing up and skipping town.Then Ellis walked in.Three years pass before things change.
Relationships: Ellis & Nick (Left 4 Dead), Ellis/Nick (Left 4 Dead)
Comments: 39
Kudos: 125





	1. Chapter 1

The small clinic was dark inside when Ellis stepped up to the double wooden doors. The building was a comfortable shade of red with its tightly packed cinderblocks and large, shuttered windows. He shivered faintly in the midnight air, pulling his thick denim jacket closer to his body and ducking his chin to hide underneath the cap of his blue hat. 

His right arm was out of the sleeve, curled closely to his torso, and he kept it covered as best he could. This wasn't the first injury he'd experienced and it wouldn't be the last - between Keith's tendency to drag him into wild stunts, and his own tendency to... 

... well, for someone who worked on cars for a living, he was awfully accident-prone around the workshop. It was common enough to have a wrench drop on his foot or have a car hood close on a finger, and he rarely went a day without a few healing bruises or cuts. 

It wasn't usually a huge deal, but this time, he'd found the raw edge of a strip of metal with his forearm while reaching into the engine cavity of a Chevy. The vehicle had been in a bit of an accident, and something in the chassis must've broken inward, because hell if he'd expected the sudden burning pain as he'd pulled his arm right along the sharp steel. 

He wasn't sure if it needed stitches or not, but he did know it was bleeding too much to ignore - so he tightly wrapped a clean towel around his forearm and managed to drive, one-handed, the couple minutes to the tiny clinic nestled in the far outskirts of Savannah. 

Peeking carefully in through the glass, Ellis couldn't really see anything through the shutters. He bobbed his head as best he could, and with a little effort, he managed to make out the faintest glow of light, like a door was half-open and a light was softly on. 

Ignoring the wooden 'CLOSED' sign dangling a few inches from his head, the Georgian exhaled heavily in a bit of a bashful shiver and rapped his knuckles on the glass, trying to do so as respectfully but firmly as he could. 

He stood in silence, anxious. He felt guilty for showing up after hours, particularly for what might be a small injury that he could've taken care of himself. Ellis was always taking Keith to this clinic every time he got hurt - sure, it wasn't a full hospital, but it was close by and cheap. 

Even more than that, with how often they ended up needing him, it was nice to have a private practice doctor that was familiar with them. There was a special value in someone who could look at Keith, a gator bite to his shoulder and hacking up buckets of swamp water, and not totally freeze up in bewilderment before treating him. 

Plus, he always seemed to be at the clinic. It didn't even matter that the plaque set up on the sidewalk listed a closing time - whenever they called, he was just... there. Which, of course, was mostly why Ellis was even risking showing up at the door when it must've been almost two in the morning. 

Ellis straightened up when he swore he heard movement inside. He still couldn't see through the shutters, but he could discern the flicker of light as a shadow passed in front of them. 

Sucking in a breath carefully, Ellis took a half-step back as the door unlocked with a click. He blinked as the leftmost door opened up a little cautiously, gaze averted and his expression distinctly crinkled with apology. He didn't wait to voice it, huddling a bit over his hidden, injured arm: 

"'M real sorry tuh bother yuh so late, Dr. S."

Dr. Nicolas Soretto cocked up a brow in a mixture of amusement and confusion from where he stood, half-leaned out, in the doorway. He'd clearly slipped his white lab coat back on just a few seconds before, as he was still straightening it over his shoulders. It was sprawled open on his body, revealing the entirety of the neat blue dress shirt and the white slacks he had on underneath. 

He'd have looked a little more professional had he had his tie on, but his neck was bare, the button of his collar undone. Faint stubble and the slightest signs of dark circles underneath his eyes was an intoxicating mix of unkempt and... right. The very subtle disarray seemed to fit him better than the prim state Ellis usually saw him in. 

Ellis' state, however, was likely very familiar to the doctor. 

The light drifting in from the waiting room was very faint, just enough to illuminate the younger man. Ellis tried to keep his face drawn in a hesitant look out from underneath his cap. He was always the one with his head ducked, apologetic, while Keith was still complaining loudly about being dragged out of his stunt before he'd finished. 

Maintaining his grip on the door handle, Nick let a subtle sigh slip free from his throat as he offered a smile. Sharp green eyes checked behind Ellis before he actually spoke, maybe verifying that he was alone, other hand adjusting the reading glasses he'd just clipped onto his coat's breast pocket. "Well, it's not the first time. I've said before I don't mind - I'm just sitting around." 

Ellis nodded appreciatively, apology still written over his expression. Dr. Soretto always had a certain way of holding just the smallest amount of a sigh in his voice whenever they showed up, like he was always a little miffed. He never said no, though. It was something Ellis really liked about him. 

The fact that saying yes was his job did not really register. 

"I don't see Mr. Nelson with you. Did something happen? I thought I'd actually convinced him to take it easy for a bit this time." 

The younger man chuckled with a bit of embarrassment, squeezing onto his jacket with the hand clutching it. "Oh.. naw, naw, his mama's still got him tied down tuh his bed... I mean not _really,_ but you know.. Keith shouldn't get intuh no trouble fer a while." 

The older man gave a small sigh, lifting a hand to run fingers through his carefully slicked hair. Flashing a small smirk that seemed a bit tired, Nick responded, "I'm going to just enjoy that for a moment. He deserves his own exam room for how often he's here." 

A little bit of dryness crept into his tone, only to be stifled with a gentle clear of his throat. Ellis couldn't help a grin, liking the casual moment that tricked the doctor into letting out the not-so-professional sarcasm. 

Re-focusing, Nick straightened slightly, letting one arm cross over his chest. "But - anyway. What's up tonight, Mr. Walker? Your turn?" 

Ellis' face flushed just a little bit, and he wasn't sure if it was the direct question or the 'Mr.' It was only fair, since he certainly didn't call the doctor 'Nicolas,' but it always felt a little weird to go by something other than just his first name. 

"Oah, umh.. I kinda done hurt muhself." 

Unsurprised, Dr. Soretto gave the smallest of sighs and stepped back. He held the door open, gesturing Ellis inside with an arm, and offered him this half-smile, half-arch of his brow. It was the look of a man who'd heard that plenty of times. 

Ellis ducked his head slightly as he stepped inside the waiting room past the doctor. He managed to feel guilty for the whole thing all over again, though Nick was being accommodating, as always. 

The black fabric couches that edged the waiting room were clean and neatly arranged. They looked freshly vacuumed, as did the tan carpet under his sneakers. The front desk was abandoned, the woman who managed it (a sweet but serious lady of maybe 65 years, all business) obviously long gone home. 

The Georgian didn't wait, having done this more than enough. He stepped ahead to the door leading into the back, skulking a little bit as he opened it up and passed through the carpeted hallway beyond. He could hear Nick only a few feet behind him, following calmly as the Georgian lead the way into the clinic's single exam room. 

"I would'uh bandaged it muhself but .. yuh see, Paul - that's Keith's brother, y'know, he was the one who came with when Keith burned his whole back up messin' with that flamethrower...?" 

Dr. Soretto gave a nod, quietly, that Ellis saw out of the corner of his eye. 

"Well, he's real firm 'bout us lockin' up the back when the garage ain't actually runnin', 'n that's where we done keep the first-aid... 'n'I fergot my key at home... so, well, y'know. Everythin' just went wrong." 

He trailed off, embarrassed as a quiet snort of laughter escaped the doctor. That was another thing Nick had heard a lot. 

The white, laminated examination room was meticulously clean and professional, and already well lit by soft lights in the ceiling. The only signs that anything was awry was the fact the wheeled chair - usually stowed in one corner for an extra person to sit in - was pulled out, settled next to the squat counter with all Dr. Soretto's organized medical supplies. His missing tie was laid over its back. 

A hard-cover book sat open on the chair seat and a cup of probably lukewarm coffee sat just on the edge of the counter. Ellis didn't question it, merely stepped past the chair, turning around to gently hop himself up onto the examination table. 

The surface was protected underneath the tacky paper roll that was pulled out over its whole length, and though the paper crinkled audibly under his weight, Ellis had always found it pleasant. It made a satisfying sound as he squirmed to get comfortable. 

He reached up to take his cap off, setting it behind himself carefully and rifling fingers just momentarily through his curly brunette hair. 

Nick closed the door behind himself, more out of habit than any kind of conscious thought. He seemed to notice the small nest he'd left behind, and a bit of a displeased twitch touched his mouth. Ellis saw it, smiling a bit where he sat. He hunched forward and let his sneakered feet swing softly. 

Neither of them commented on it. The doctor just walked over and straightened the chair slightly, pushing it more out of the way, then approached the exam table with a gesturing hand. "Go on, let's see what you did this time, Mr. Walker." There was, admittedly, a bit of chide to his tone, but Ellis _did_ deserve it. 

Carefully reaching up, Ellis gently slid his jacket off his shoulder. Since his arm wasn't in the sleeve, it slid quickly to dangle off his other arm, baring pretty much all of his torso. His off-grey T-shirt was smudged with oil here and there, as were the jeans he was wearing to match his denim jacket. He'd not had a chance to change from the workshop. 

Usually he wore his coveralls to keep his clothes protected, but tonight - before getting enraptured by just how they were going to fix the crashed Chevy - he'd just thought he'd do a little bit of working around since he couldn't sleep. 

Nick's eyes narrowed slightly as they caught onto Ellis' arm, and his head cocked faintly to one side. It was a look Ellis had seen a lot - it appeared on his face everytime he saw Keith. It expressed very clearly, _'oh fuck, what now'_ , though the doctor wouldn't've said the words. The towel wrapped around it was dampened in a stripe of blood, smudged in a few places, and beginning to dry. 

"I caught muh arm on some metal in this car in the shop... guess I should'uh been more careful, haw." Bashfully shaking his head, Ellis apologized, shaking his jacket off and pushing it behind his rump to join his cap. "'M real sorry yuh gotta do this so late, Dr. Soretto." 

Nick approached a bit closer, standing just beside Ellis' knee to bend forward. He waited for the Georgian to settle before reaching his hands out and unwinding the towel, one hand bracing underneath Ellis' elbow to hold his arm up. 

"It's alright." the doctor uttered simply as the towel came away. Ellis winced only slightly, craning his head to watch. The cut extended from the side of his elbow down halfway to his wrist, and blood was splotched all around it as the towel had rubbed against his forearm and spread it. 

The older man let the towel drop to the floor, bending in to examine the wound. His fingers were always warm and soft, and as he slowly cradled Ellis' wrist and elbow and used fingertips to gently manipulate his arm, the injured mechanic couldn't help but flush lightly. 

It wasn't exactly a new realization that Dr. Soretto was attractive - in a dark and mysterious kind of way that made Ellis' breath hitch, like beneath the innocuous and professional exterior was something entirely different - and no amount of pain changed the fact his hands were just so _nice._

Getting injured felt like a small price to pay. 

"It's not too deep, actually. If you promise not to use it too much, I don't think you'll need stitches." 

Ellis exhaled a relieved sound, chuckling a bit. "Man, that's good tuh hear. Them needles yuh use fer stitches creep me out." He blinked a little when Nick glanced up with a small smirk, quickly tacking on apologetically, "No offense." 

Ellis was almost sure Nick noticed the flush to his face, but he wasn't about to bring it up if the older man wasn't going to. Shaking his head in humour, Nick let Ellis' arm go. He turned away, walking over to the counter to scrub his hands shortly underneath the tap built into it. Drying them off in short order from a handtowel dispenser overhead, he pulled open a drawer of supplies and started to dig into it. 

"Honestly?" The kid blinked up at the word, intrigued by the light joke at the edge of the doctor's voice. "I still have nightmares about the lawnmower incident. Never looked at a roll of stitches the same way again." 

Ellis couldn't help but laugh, snorting more than he wanted to, grinning bashfully and scratching at his shoulder with his good hand. "Awh man, that was awful... he couldn't even _move_ or nothin' fer like -" 

"A month. I signed the forms, remember?" Nick turned around with a slight smirk. He'd gotten out several packets and boxes, and he carried them back, retaking his position beside the examination table. Sliding his instrument cart toward him with an outstretched foot, he set everything down on the metal surface, ending up with only a palm-sized, sterile pack in his hands. 

The brunette chuckled a little helplessly as he ducked his head, watching the doctor tear the packet open. "Man. He was so pissed." He pulled the folded, air-sealed wipe from inside, and Nick leaned down to settle an elbow on the edge of the exam table. Circling fingers around Ellis' wrist, he started to clean up the other man's whole forearm of dried and drying blood. 

It stung slightly, leading him to believe there was a little alcohol involved, though it was subtle. Ellis watched with a slightly embarrassed fascination, gaze shifting between his own forearm and the doctor's face. There was a look of concentration there, and a faint smirk. 

_Lord, why you gotta put this man on Earth tuh torment me?_ he questioned, wryly, feeling the pull of butterflies in his gut. _Ain't right, him lookin' like that._

As his doctor worked, Ellis couldn't help but talk. It wasn't like the man wasn't well-used to it, and it was a bit of a nervous reaction under the influence of Nick's hands. Dr. Soretto hadn't put on gloves - the direct contact was flustering. "Y'know, doctor.. I kinda figured you'd be here, 'cause yer always here tuh answer the phone when we've had tuh call before - but ain't you tired? Why don't'cha go home?" 

The green-eyed medic glanced up at him momentarily, hands pausing slightly on Ellis' forearm. The Georgian had a momentary falter where he thought Nick might not appreciate the question - but then he shrugged up his crisply shrouded shoulders, returning to his work. He seemed unbothered, and his mood only faintly leveled out. 

"It's quiet, and I'm available if anyone shows up in the middle of the night." He said the last bit a tad pointedly, half-smirking up at the kid. "Something wrong with that?" 

"Naw, naw, 'course not! Just seems kinda lonely is all, 'n'yuh look tired." Ellis ducked his head a bit as if realizing his own words, cocking his head in apology and flashing a smile. "Sorry, Dr. S. I shouldn't be askin' these questions none. Bein' nosy." 

Dr. Soretto sighed lightly, giving a bit of a laugh at the end of it. He shook his head simply, bending in a little further to be more cautious as he cleaned along the actual wound. He didn't want to open it anymore than was necessary to get all the oil and grease from Ellis' work out. 

"I don't mind." he clarified, before curtly returning to the question. "Just a little trouble sleeping. I don't make a habit of self-prescription, so... a book and a cup of coffee." 

Ellis smiled, though it turned into a cringe an instant later as the flesh split along his forearm protested the burn of alcohol. "Ah-aaow, ow, ow..." escaped him abruptly, and the doctor gave him the subtlest smile, showing teeth, before his expression fell back to a general calm. "Sorry. S'too bad yuh can't sleep. Bad dreams or somethin'?" 

"You could say that, yeah." A little bit of blood was swelling up on a deeper part of the cut, and Nick eyed it somewhat discontentedly before sending a small glance up toward Ellis' face. "I'd rather be here than staring at the ceiling at home." 

The Georgian nodded adamantly, head bobbing. "Me too. S'why I was at the shop, 'cause I couldn't sleep none, so I wanted tuh do some work." 

The doctor held down a little pressure on the wound with his thumb against the wipe, coaxing it to stop bleeding where it had threatened to start, a smirk settling more permanently on his features and bleeding into his eyes in a genuine way. "Looks like we're both a bit tired tonight, then, Mr. Walker." 

Embarrassed into a blush, the mechanic carefully tightened his lips against each other, trying hard not to fidget. "Guess so."

It was stupid to feel so flustered around him, considering he didn't even have the slightest reason to think the doctor was interested in men at all and certainly not him... but Ellis couldn't exactly help it. He'd always been a bit struck by the man's warm attention and handsome features, but it felt like a little too much tonight. 

It was probably a mix of the innocuous 'we', the smirk he said it with, and the fact they were alone together so late at night. Ellis did his very best to just take a breath and shrug it off. 

It didn't work.

The next words out of his mouth were a blurted, "I don't mind if yuh call me Ellis, y'know. Yuh don't gotta say 'Mr. Walker' all the time. Kind'uv a mouthful'n'such." 

Dr. Soretto cocked up a brow, amused. He tossed the fairly bloody wipe onto his instrument table, picking up one of the small boxes he'd set down and cracking it open. Pulling out a few sealed bandages, he started to un-wrap the first one. 

"Alright then, Ellis, if you want. It's not personal, just habit." 

Ellis was definitely flustered, then. 

Hearing his own name in the doctor's graveled voice was a special sort of suffering. His spine was tingling, a hot and sweaty feeling building around his chest. He almost couldn't even work up a response, throat locking up, but he swallowed through it. "... Y-yeah, sure, ain't nothin'... After all the times you done helped Keith'n'I, think you earned a break from bein' all stuffy all the time." 

He almost hoped the doctor would volunteer his own first name - or rather, permission to use it - but the older man merely leaned forward, carefully applying the thin, papery wound closures one by one down the line of Ellis' injury. 

"I've earned about ten vacations doing that." There was that lightly joking tone again, and Ellis couldn't help but break out into an embarrassed guffaw, forcing Nick to still a moment until it ended and he could return to closing up the wound. He spared an irked quirk up toward the man's face, but it was not sincere. 

"Sorry." the Georgian apologized quickly, then flashed a grin, ducking his head. "Yer awful patient with us... 'n'yer a real good doctor, y'know that? Hell, Keith's still got all his fingers 'cause'uh you." 

Dr. Soretto smirked subtly, shaking his head as he laid down the last paper suture. His hands slipped to cradle underneath Ellis' forearm, and the younger man felt his pulse jump, not expecting the contact before it happened. Nick's palms were nestled flat against the soft underside of his forearm, holding his arm up with a firm grip but a gentle edge of caution. 

He gazed over his work, gazed over the wound, attention critical and breath just-gently held. 

The mechanic's head filled slowly with fog, skin prickling as Nick's thumb stroked over the length of the wound, flattening a few of the sutures with the pad of it.

Ellis wished the examination table didn't crinkle so much when he shifted his weight. He was going to end up setting off an unfortunate physical reaction if he didn't watch himself, and the chance that the doctor might notice was fairly high considering their proximity. 

" _You're_ going to miss out on a scar because of me. Don't usually get that lucky with your friend - he's a walking billboard for me and I've only been around a couple years." 

Ellis found himself blinking dumbly as one of those hands pulled away, the loss of the contact not something he relished. The doctor picked up a small roll of cloth wraps from his tool cart, shaking it out of its plastic bag one-handed. He started to wrap Ellis' forearm carefully, covering the wound with a light layer of bandages. 

"This is just to keep the sutures from getting dirty. They won't keep your arm together, so take it easy, okay? I realize that's hard for you, but try."

Ellis was not listening. 

He could just ask. 

It was a simple enough question, just a couple words: ' _Do you wanna grab a drink with me?'_ He'd leave quickly afterward and avoid any kind of awkwardness - and he'd just avoid coming back until Keith got hurt again. That would likely be at least a few weeks, enough time for both of them to pretend it had never happened. 

It could be painless, if he just got it over with and then moved on. And then he could stop wondering if the doctor might be interested in him, or could be. He could see the differences between them - age... occupation... not to mention the complexity involved in Nick being his doctor. 

Still, Nick's fingers were so gentle on his skin, his gaze so soft and intent, that he held out hope despite himself. The doctor had to know Ellis squirmed at his touch, flustered at his attention, stiffened at his proximity - in more ways than one. Dr. Soretto had never tried to discourage him, so why not ask? 

The turmoil inside his head grew to a fevered buzz. 

Applying just a small strip of tape to the bandage to keep the cloth in place, Nick straightened up, releasing a sigh. He offered Ellis a smile, setting his hand flat on the edge of the exam table by the man's knee. His fingertips grazed denim, and the touch felt so much hotter than it should have. 

"Looks good to me. It should be fine. Try not to mess with it for the next two weeks or so and it'll heal up. Okay, Ellis?" The smile firmed slightly, going more genuine. However, as he looked up, his tired green eyes suddenly turned focused, like he noticed the thought all over the Georgian's face. 

Dr. Soretto cocked his head just a tick. 

There was a clear question in the motion, and a sympathetic concern that felt like entirely too much. He should have leapt on the chance to ask his question and then flee, but Ellis' control snapped in his hands, and something entirely different happened. 

His hands came forward like they were possessed with a mind all of their own - his injury didn't even register; if it hurt, he sure didn't feel it just then. Grasping onto Nick's unbuttoned lab coat, he suddenly leaned himself forward to very firmly plant his mouth onto the older man's. 

It was warm - unbelievably warm, stubble scraping his mouth from the doctor's shadowed face. Ellis' lips molded against their slim counterparts, and he tasted coffee, and it was wonderful. 

And completely unreciprocated. 

The doctor stiffened almost immediately. His whole body froze up, mouth clenching underneath the kiss, and Ellis was struck by the feeling he'd made a serious mistake. A cold panic surged through him, completely unsure if he should pull back and bolt as fast as he could, or hold on and hope the moment never broke. If he just held on, maybe the other man would take pity on him, and kiss him back. 

He didn't end up being able to make a decision either way. Before he could so much as think about weighing the pros and cons, Nick's hand folded up between them to settle flat on the other man's chest and pry him backwards. The force of his grip broke the kiss with a gentle but firm hand. 

Ellis was distantly surprised when the doctor didn't move, though - and the hand only pushed him a few inches. It wasn't a motion of disgust or horror, just calm rejection. Worse, the grip against his chest and the way he was seated on the table left him half-trapped. He'd have to struggle to get free, and he couldn't bring himself to do that. 

The younger man stilled as an awkward regret flooded him with an uncomfortable heat, doing everything in his power to keep his gaze down. He vaulted into a wary mumble, feeling a blush rising quickly over his face. 

"...u-uhm, I'm - ... I.. Well I don't rightly - know whut tuh - ... erm, say, but..." He felt utterly humiliated for being so impulsive and thoughtless. He wanted to sink into the table and melt through the floor, or gurgle down the nearest drain and disappear into the pipes. "You can jus'... not say a thing, I'll uh - be on muh way. Thanks fer... y'know, helpin'. I -" 

Nick's voice interrupted.

"That was ... inappropriate." 

The words were strangely level. Even. Calm. All they did was make Ellis' cheeks go darker, his head lowering in shame as he couldn't get himself to lift his gaze. The doctor still hadn't moved out of his way, but all he wanted to do was slide off the table and silently crawl out of the clinic. 

Unfortunately, Nick seemed to expect a response. Ellis could only see a little bit of his expression, darkened by shadows, but it was firm and flat. The doctor seemed very deep in thought, and not an ounce of it slipped onto his face, except for a patient expectation. 

Hesitantly, and with a heavy swallow that made his lips curl inward, Ellis mumbled, "... y-yeah, 'm.. 'm sorry, I know. Really.. 'm sorry.. I'll uhm -" 

Dr. Soretto interrupted him again, just as flatly as the first time. "Breaks some serious rules, you kissing me." Ellis didn't understand why he wasn't moving - he was starting to feel a claustrophobic desperation to escape, mortification rising. "I could get in pretty serious fuckin' trouble for what you just did." 

The cursing made Ellis outright flinch, because the doctor _never_ cursed in front of him. What was even stranger than that was how bluntly comfortable it was on his lips, just like the slight disarray of his form seemed to fit him. It sent a shock of heat up Ellis' spine, nervously curling his spine, unsure if he wanted to lean away from the hand on his chest or lean into it. 

His body trembled, confused, torn. 

"... 'M so sorry, man... That was stupid. I won't bother yuh 'bout it again, I promise. I should'uh known you wouldn't want tuh - I mean, that you... I should'uh asked. A-anyway, I'll -" 

The third interruption was the last one. The green-eyed doctor's voice attained a sudden humor, edged with a graveled charm that chilled Ellis' spine. Ellis risked darting his gaze up, and the sight he found shocked him.

Nick's lips were curled with something that seemed as confident as it was disbelieving. Some of his shock was mirrored back to him, but warmer, like the surprise was pleasant. Like he was faintly glad.

"Just making sure you understand." 

The hand that was on his chest caught fingers in his shirt, pulling him just an inch closer and keeping him there. Dr. Soretto's other hand snaked up, cradling his jaw with that gentle, soothing touch, and pulling his chin up an inch. Ellis' mouth gaped in shock just in time for Nick's to slot against it. Their lips locked tightly, molded together, stifling the beginning of a word that had tried to start in Ellis' throat. 

There was no press, no tender peck, no tentative coaxing. The kiss was a hot wetness joined between them as Nick's tongue slipped into his mouth and explored, all hot silk and probing pressure. 

A moan escaped the younger man, pushing up and into it, their teeth grazing in a momentary misstep. Nick adjusted, tilting his chin, and the kiss deepened - and it felt like everything Ellis had ever daydreamed about. It was nothing like fumbling around with his highschool boyfriends, or the scattered few flings he'd had over the last few years. 

The secrecy involved generally precluded either of them being particularly experienced, and he'd always found himself disappointed in the lack of intimacy, the distance he felt, the temporary nature of it all. 

He'd never kissed someone he'd known as long as he'd known Nick; the man had come to a Thanksgiving dinner at his house once. His mother stopped him anytime they saw him in a grocery store or a parking lot and talked his ear off, and he humoured her, sparing little long-suffering looks in Ellis' direction. He knew nearly every stupid thing Ellis had done in the last three years. 

It was different. 

Nick's fingertips stroking his jaw drove him to a wild urgency, feeling his body shiver and warm, his hips eagerly nudging down against the table with a rustling of paper. Ellis nipped at the older man's tongue before stroking his own forward, a burning desire rippling up his spine. He needed more, needed to touch and be touched, needed proof that he wasn't hallucinating. 

Ellis couldn't help but reach out, fingertips brushing over the doctor's belly and finding the soft fabric of his button-up. He rubbed his palm against it until he could feel the warmth of skin through it. 

He could also feel it tense as Nick's whole body tensed, and a soft murmur rumbled in the man's throat. It was the first real sound he'd made, the first vocal indication that he was enjoying himself. Then he shivered, body going rigid with the shudder, and Ellis was quite certain he'd never felt something so erotic. 

Then Dr. Soretto pulled back, their lips popping apart with a wet sound, and it was all Ellis could do to keep from releasing a whine of protest. He didn't want to stop. 

"Please don't stop." left him, breathless, a plea. 

A raw feeling of vulnerability sunk in, as Ellis' body slumped, his chest gently heaving and his lips damp and parted. He soaked in the way Nick stared down at him, the way the man couldn't seal his lips, either, not without his nostrils flaring to suck in air. 

The older man's lips curled, widening to a smirk that drew handsome dimples around his mouth and traced lines at the edges of his eyes, and he looked... fond. His gaze was hungry, lustful, but when he spoke, there was an affection in his voice. 

"If you don't want me to, I won't. But - are you sure?" Did that fondness twist into something sad? Did he seem resigned, forlorn? Did his thumb brush against Ellis' cheek with a longing? "Gray area, here, Mr. Walker. You can leave anytime." 

Ellis' body threatened to catch on fire, there, and he stretched both his hands out to stroke up the doctor's stomach until he could settle his palms against the man's breast. The way Dr. Soretto's eyes fell to a half-lidded gaze was, simply, gratifying. The younger man forced his voice to come out firmly, though it tried to hitch. "I want'cha. Please - I want'cha to touch me. I don't wanna go nowhere. Don't kick me out."

Despite the medic's calm appearance, there was something stretched extremely taut in the space between them. It snapped, then, the pressure released in an instant. Something heated in his eyes, and it didn't seem wholly lust.

There was a fleck or two of anger.

"Whatever you want. I don't want you to go, either." His voice was a little harsher, then, hoarser. "But if you change your mind, sweetheart, just say so." Nick suddenly flattened his hand against Ellis' chest again, using it and his other hand to ease the brunette down against the examination table. Ellis moved with the touch, half-obedient and half-desperate. 

The paper rustled underneath him, and then rustled even more as the doctor followed, sliding between the Georgian's spread legs and settling one knee on the reclined bed just between his thighs. He hauled up, his left elbow coming to rest beside the younger man's ribs, body now hovered over him, weight balanced on his knee and his left arm. 

That strange urgency built up in Ellis' chest, the one that told him someone might find them, someone might notice he was missing, someone might connect the dots. The fear had a familiar but strange effect on him, the one that made his body shiver in the same moment it made his heart ache. 

When Nick leaned down, eyes drifting over the mechanic's face, Ellis reflexively closed his and parted his lips for a kiss. It did not come. 

Instead, his stubbled cheek grazed like sandpaper against Ellis', and lips nestled against the soft spot just in front of his ear. A shiver, goosebumps, traced up Ellis' body, nuzzling reflexively into the contact. There was a softness to it, a moment of simple touch, and the warmth that had seated itself in Ellis' gut was joined by a warmth somewhere else. 

The knee that was pinned between his thighs rolled forward, and before he could react, the soft press of Nick's leg nudged against his crotch. First, it was gentle - then firm - and then Nick's weight leaned into it and he rolled the soft curve of his lower thigh forward, as if to pin Ellis to the exam table with it. It pressed down onto him, and the force against his rising erection sparked something harshly pleasurable up his spine. 

It should have hurt, with the intimate parts of him pinned under the man's weight. It might've begun to, if the medic hadn't shifted his body, turning the flat press into a grinding rub, slacks scraping roughly with his denim and building up a friction. 

A moan tore throatily out of Ellis, whole body bucking up in a jolt of pleasure against Dr. Soretto's leg, shuddering up off the table where he could. It made him feel more than a little desperate, humping eagerly up against the thigh pinning him there. His moan shuddered to a whimper and breathily left him. 

Nick buried his mouth against Ellis' ear, catching the top edge of it against his teeth, stubble raking faintly against the younger man's temple as he nibbled along the delicate whorls. Ellis came down trembling, wanting. 

"Mhn. Too much?" was the doctor's subtle murmur. 

The Georgian shut his eyes, turning his head against the nibbling mouth to encourage the ministrations on his ear. "N-naw." he shot back in a whimper that was as confident as he could force it, lifting his hips to push subtly up against the doctor's weight. "Not 'nough." 

The man let out a subtle laugh that warmed Ellis' jaw, teasing, yet still softly affectionate. "Duly noted." His mouth grazed down the Georgian's ear before the tip of his tongue flicked at his earlobe. His body dropped a bit, and the position of his leg had him almost straddling Ellis'. 

Ellis would never have imagined - not in a million years - that the doctor would behave like this, but he had all the proof he could've asked for: Nick's tongue curling into his ear and the stiffness pressing against his thigh from under the doctor's not-so-thick slacks. 

He was hard, and that felt like a victory. 

Dr. Soretto tipped his head and abandoned his ear, instead letting his mouth graze down the side of Ellis' neck. He whispered between them, and it was somewhere between gentle and urgently raw. "How much, though? Do you want me to touch you?" His tongue flicked along the kid's jugular, teeth nipping immediately after. "Fuck you?" 

He did, so badly, but the doctor's willingness and smooth question shocked him. The predatory gravel in the older man's tone left him wondering if Nick had thought about _him_ before. The excitement of that thought put a whimpered drawl in his voice as he blurted his response. 

"Yeah. Lord, yeah." he answered in an easy, low groan - and shifted his knee to a soft bend, just enough to nudge up and press into the older man, rubbing against the hardness there. "You got no idea how much."

When Nick's breath fluttered into a murmured sigh, an open enjoyment in the sound, Ellis scorned the clothing that separated them. He tried to get an arm up over Nick's back to clutch into the fabric of his coat. He wanted it gone, all of it, leaving nothing but skin on skin, letting him view all the inches of the man's body kept hidden from him.

The other man's mouth - edged by stubble that scratched at the sensitive skin there - worked lower, dotting kisses and bites down the slope of Ellis' neck, a lust brewed hotter in the soft hums that left him. He stayed torturously slow, voice measured, yet raw. "Easy. We're not in a rush." 

Ellis wanted to burst into laughter, because he'd never wanted to sprint so fast in his life. He wanted the doctor's clothes off, wanted to be face-down on the exam table, wanted the stiff shape he felt against his thigh inside him. He wanted to hear what the man's voice did as he came. He wanted to make him come. 

All-in-all, he felt very much in a rush. 

One of those warm hands slipped to trace the muscular slope of Ellis' side, fingertips diving under his shirt until they found bare skin. They stroked at his waist, their pads finding the surface prickled with soft goosebumps. 

Ellis gasped in a breath, rolling his hips up to surge against his palm, getting enough space between him and the table that Nick's hand could slip to settle against his lower back. He was well past aroused, the rough fabric of his jeans rubbed against his thinly-clothed erection by Nick's motions. His throat was in knots, but he swallowed around it. 

Closing his mouth on the delicate skin just at the crook of Ellis' neck, Nick bit faintly into it, suckling between nips. Ellis could tell he was going to have a mark from it, especially as the nips got a little harder, and that stimulation plus the pressure of Nick's thigh nudging into him sent his mind swimming. 

"Doc'..." he pleaded breathlessly, squirming his prostrated body as much as he could. He tried to be tempting, tried to look as eager for it as he felt. "Losin' muh shit here. Please -" 

Dr. Soretto suddenly straightened up from him. His other foot braced on the thin metal step up to the exam table, both his hands planting down on the crinkling paper on either side of Ellis' hips. He was going to hop up onto the exam table, and Ellis' heart practically pounded right out of his chest. 

The Georgian squirmed backward in reflex, his legs spreading to completely straddle the exam table and his chin ducking down as the doctor's gaze flicked to examine his body. His jeans strained to accommodate the position, cock twitching as Nick gazed toward it. 

Ellis pushed his elbows back to prop himself up, holding his bandaged arm at a slight angle. He felt on display, and he didn't have to guess if the other man was enjoying it. 

He said as much. 

"You're beautiful."

Ending up on his knees between Ellis' spread legs, the cushions bowing lightly under his weight and the paper rustling and crinkling up under him, the doctor straightened up. Ellis could only watch in fascination as he pulled his coat off, shaking it free from his shoulders before tossing it over the instrument table a foot or two away. 

Ellis had seen him out of the coat before, stripped to the dress shirt underneath. There was something fantastically lean about how the shirt fitted to his form, strong but slim. 

"Yer one tuh talk." Ellis whispered back. His throat was dry and his voice rough, eyes drinking in the doctor's frame. "You look amazin'." He wanted to touch him desperately, fingers clutching tightly until his nails dug into his palms, but he mostly wanted to know what the other man's hands planned to do. 

Dr. Soretto fell to a smirk as his eyes lit up with a subtly flattered warmth, leaning forward. He settled one hand on the table behind Ellis' thigh, the other leisurely reaching down to catch the zipper of Ellis' fly between his fingertips. The brunette shivered, holding perilously still. 

The Georgian moaned softly as fingers pulled his zipper down with a faint hush of metal _,_ unfastening the button to his jeans shortly afterward. Ellis bucked his hips up a little, turning his head to press his cheek against the cushioned table's surface. 

The doctor wasn't blind to the pleading note behind the motion. Green eyes slipped to a calm examination of Ellis' face as his fingers slipped underneath the tight layer of his jeans. They curled to grope his erection through the fabric of his boxers, touching him in the cramped space of his jeans. 

"N-nh..." Ellis groaned out, body shuddering as it heated up quickly under Nick's hand. Pleasure buzzed on his nerves, lips falling parted as his control started to slip. The man palmed and stroked up his length, stirring all his senses into a flame, and he hadn't even gotten under his boxers yet.

Stretching back up to align their faces, Nick claimed his mouth firmly, taking advantage of his parted lips to thrust deep into it. He kissed the other man with an urgency, biting at his tongue. They both melted down into the exam table as his thumb stretched up to roll lustily over the head of Ellis' cock, touch muted by the cloth of his boxers. 

The Georgian succumbed to the kiss, eyes half-shut, unable to do more than moan in his throat. His body communicated his pleasure with more clarity, twitching reactively each time the doctor's fingers moved against his sensitive flesh.

"Shit, Ellis..." the doctor muttered, trailing small nips along Ellis' lower lip all the way to the edge of his mouth.

The reappearance of his swearing felt like a failure of control, and Ellis wanted to hear more. The idea of the man completely undone, swearing viciously, all composure and control lost as he buried himself into the younger man's body - he'd never wanted anything more.

Nick slipped back, one of his shoes re-catching onto the metal step attached halfway up the table's stocky base. The retreat put his head just over Ellis' stomach, bent down, and the prone mechanic gave a tense shiver as the doctor's stroking hand slid up to sneak underneath his boxers. 

The touch of bare fingertips to his cock was enough to make his hips buck, and a desperate whine left him. He could feel a sudden jerk in the muscles spread across his abdomen, shame darting up over his face as he was entirely too aware of how close he was. His knees tried to crush together, but all he managed to do was hug the older man's sides with them. 

Dr. Soretto didn't seem surprised in the slightest as his fingers brushed over a precum-dampened head, coaxing Ellis' erection free of his boxers entirely and circling his grip around the base of it. His palm nestled against brunette curls there, fingertips stroking softly at the velvet flesh he held. 

Ellis' vision was blurring quickly, melted in the older man's hands. His hands turned into fists in their grip on the exam table beneath him, and he was vaguely aware of paper tearing between his fingers. He tried to hold himself composed, distancing himself from the pleasure, but he was falling fast. The heaving of his chest and the shiver of his thighs must've given him away.

"Don't fight it." the doctor growled faintly, a simple command, and Ellis flushed hard with the awareness that Nick's attention was on his pleasured face. "Let me take care of you."

Ellis didn't want it to end there. He wanted to last, and he wanted to climax with the other man seated inside of him, not still clothed and almost untouched. He wanted it to be good for both of them. He needed it to be good enough that Nick might want to do it again.

"D-doc', I-I don't wanna -" 

The older man didn't seem interested in listening. It was a stern and controlling behaviour Ellis had seen a million times before, and it had always been _attractive_ \- but it had never been sexual. It had certainly never made his cock pulse and perk up before.

Nick's firm assertion came in the form of his tongue laving flat over the damp tip of Ellis' hard-on, flicking over the leaking slit. Fire sparked straight up Ellis' body, and his whole body practically bucked up with a loud, senseless groan. It pitched up at the end, morphing into a cry of, "N-not yet!" 

The man seemed to recognize the sincerity in the plea, and he pulled his mouth away just a few inches, gaze on Ellis' face. A tiny frown prickled at his lips, even as he curled his tongue into his cheek and sucked on it, swallowing the liquid he'd lapped up. 

His green eyes were narrowly focused, cheeks flushed with arousal, fingers faintly kneading at the flesh in his hand. "You think I'm letting you off this easy? I'm going to fuck you, Ellis, and I'll get you hard again before I do. Just let me enjoy this. _You_ enjoy this." 

Ellis hesitated, trembling lightly, unsure.

It was only the subtle smile that alighted on the man's face that convinced him, and with a wary shudder, Ellis slumped back in submission. "I -... okay. Okay."

His fingers still held on tight to the torn handfuls of paper that he'd managed to rip from the covering of the exam table. He would've probably dug his nails straight into his palms had he not had the paper to soften his grip. 

Dr. Soretto didn't wait more than a few seconds before lowering his chin until his lips grazed again at the man's erection. Tilting his head slightly to trail his mouth along the shaft, Nick kept up a soft suction that set Ellis' hips to a needy rock as his lover flicked his tongue and suckled. The attention shoved him closer and closer to the edge, breaths turning faint as his heart pounded in his ears. 

As his tongue came sliding back upwards, Nick closed his mouth entirely around the head of Ellis' cock. The inside of his mouth was almost unbearably hot, enveloping the sensitive flesh with a slick, wet warmth. 

The Georgian moaned as the doctor suckled softly at him, lips protecting the hard length from his teeth. He sunk his head down, taking it deeper until it cushioned between his tongue and the roof of his mouth, pleasure building as he bobbed his head a few times at that depth. 

"O-Oh - _oh_ -" Ellis barely managed to exhale, breaking into a senseless cry of a noise as the doctor's mouth tightened into a firm suck. His hips rutted up well before he had a chance to stop himself, trying to thrust upward and bury a little more in the warmth and velvet, but Nick seemed to expect it. 

Even as Ellis blindly vaulted into orgasm, spilling out in hot pulses, Nick's free hand firmly caught hold of the other man's half-bared hip, stopping him from getting more than an inch of height. The moment he regained himself enough to still, the doctor soothed his mouth in a slow bob on the kid's throbbing length.

Ellis whimpered fitfully between gasps, slowly relaxing into a charged sensitivity as Nick's tongue and lips suckled him through the climax. The younger man drifted his eyes half-shut, willing himself to melt down onto the table as the doctor gradually pulled his mouth off with a wet pop. Only a stray droplet of either saliva or come - or both - escaped from the edge of his mouth before he swallowed.

It was the sort of sight that was not likely to leave his mind's eye anytime soon. 

Nick carefully wiped at the mess with his wrist, as he turned his body to seat himself more comfortably on the edge of the exam table between Ellis' knees. His jaw moved slightly as he licked at his teeth. One hand dropped down, settling fingers flat on the heaving pane of Ellis' stomach and stroking faintly. 

He petted there, teasing his fingertip around the younger man's navel, rubbing over the line of hair that wandered up his midline. It was a frankly affectionate gesture, detached from the sexual nature of the moment. Ellis' eyes focused, gaze lifting to the medic's face, soaking in the touch. 

"... Jumped you a little bit there. Old habits." the doctor admitted, a faint snort escaping him. He didn't seem particularly apologetic, not that Ellis wanted him to be.

Struggling with not completely losing himself to the afterglow, Ellis forced a lazy guffaw. His whole body was buzzing, skin warm and tingling and too hot under his clothes. "I wanted you to... " was his honest retort, toes curling in his sneakers as the stroking of his stomach made him tingle. 

Nick's eyes lit up, and the slim smile that graced his lips was enough to make Ellis' heart race. "And just how long have you been wanting that, huh?" 

The Georgian's face flushed lightly. He half-wished he wasn't just casually laying there still exposed, but another part of him didn't care. Another part of him wanted to strip further. "I-I dunno, Dr. Soretto. A while... maybe. It matter...?" 

The older man smirked faintly, pulling away with a distinct stiffness to slip off the table and stand up. He walked toward the counter across the room, posture confidently swaggered. The drawers rolled on smooth wheels as he pulled one open, digging into the carefully ordered contents. "Nope. Not anymore. I'm going to work it _right_ the hell out of you." 

The Georgian shifted a bit now that Nick's eyes were off of him, flushing slightly as he sat up on his elbows. Excitement flooded him, trying to regain some composure, wiping his hands on his thighs to rub off the flakes of torn paper that were stuck there, mostly with sweat.

His jacket and hat had dug into his back and would continue to be in the way, so now that he had the chance, he reached underneath himself with his unbandaged arm and pushed them off the table. They landed in a bit of a tumbled pile, and he snatched his hat off and let it drop to join them.

He used one hand to tuck himself back into his boxers, relaxing with the little bit of decency - and then he focused his gaze down at his bandaged forearm. Ellis' voice gained a coy note, split between a playfulness and a genuine question. "... Yeah? Aren't'cha gonna get in trouble, touchin' me?" 

Nick snorted, turning around on a heel. His expression was eager in its focus, hungry, making Ellis sink down a little on the table, chin lowering. The doctor had an item in either hand: a foil square of a condom and a tube of medical lubricant.

"You want me to." 

The Georgian couldn't quite tear his gaze off Dr. Soretto's face, fascinated by the range of expressions he'd never seen before. He was utterly thrilled with them - but previously, he'd have guessed the doctor was the modestly flirtatious kind. Slow, cautious, controlled. 

He'd been wrong. "...yeah." 

"Then I don't really care." Nick approached, stepping up to the end of the exam table. He smirked, setting knuckles against the very edge of the cushion and leaning in slightly. Ellis felt like a puddle underneath that lust-lit attention, a faint whimper escaping him. 

The next words were a request more than a command, but it had that firm tone the mechanic was rapidly getting quite fond of. "Knees, Ellis. And watch your arm."

The brunette stammered wordlessly with a little bit of an 'uh-huh', face flushed as he moved to comply. Nick's gaze was meticulously tracking his movements, though his body was still and relaxed. Ellis turned away, then, and rolled himself over on the exam table, kicking his sneakers off with the opposite toe as he went. They thudded with loud claps against the tile.

The paper rustled loudly as he moved, crinkling into little flowered dents around his knees. He settled his hands onto the table in front of himself, and surprise made him gasp as the doctor's fingertips alighted on his hips. He must've freed his hands. 

Fingers pushed his shirt up his body, baring the swell of his lower back, and Ellis tried to arch up and encourage them. They idly spread up to his shoulderblades, stroking at his skin, and the doctor's mouth nuzzled into the very base of his spine. Nick explored him silently, gripping and smoothing at the curves of muscle and spine and shoulderblade.

"Off." he said very simply in a hot puff against Ellis' back, and he felt a pull of lust yank his body taut.

Trying not to disturb the doctor's hands or mouth, Ellis very carefully wormed his shirt over his head and past his bandaged forearm, chucking it to the floor with his jacket and cap. With that, his upper body was bare, and Nick took advantage.

The doctor dug his fingertips faintly into the skin underneath them as he moved them in circles, teasing along the muscled stretch of the man's back. It was so close to a massage Ellis found himself relaxing, head falling a little forward with a sigh, but the attentions to his lower back was slowly relighting a different kind of pleasure along his skin. 

Stubble scratched at his skin and the tip of a tongue flicked out to tease at the dents just above his rump, making him shiver. His nerves were still ringing with sensitivity from his orgasm, but the more the doctor toyed with him the more he felt his body warming to it. Ellis rocked faintly back against him with a small whimper, weight rolling on his knees and the heels of his hands.

A soft hum vibrated against him, and Nick's pace abruptly accelerated.

Trailing kisses up his spine a few inches, Nick nipped onto some skin just above his waist, suckling heavily. Ellis already had a dark spot at the crook of his neck that he could faintly feel without seeing it, and it looked like the doctor planned to give him more.

Hands slid down as he bit with his teeth, grazing along Ellis' skin and slowly moving to his sides. The doctor hooked fingers on his jeans, zipper and button still undone, and dragged them down his thighs. He only made it halfway before he got distracted; one of Dr. Soretto's hands slipped around to curl on Ellis' inner thigh, just beneath the edge of his boxers, stroking in time with his gently biting mouth. 

Ellis wanted it to go higher.

Hot breath trickled along Ellis' skin, the doctor pulling his mouth away now that he'd left a bruised mark there. His hand did brush suddenly upwards, fingertips stroking over the shape of his cock in his boxers, and the doctor must've noticed that it was plump - not quite mustering an erection yet, but hardly disinterested. 

A pleased sound left the older man when Ellis jumped softly, and Nick returned to stripping him. He tugged both articles down his legs, hands coaxing the Georgian to lift his knees one after the other so he could shed him of the clothes entirely. It was gentle, his hands stroking soothingly at Ellis' legs and calves as he went, the touch soft and comforting.

Tossing them to the floor, the doctor's hands grazed back up his legs, squeezing at the soft curves of his thighs. As his hands cupped the Georgian's rump and used his thumbs to spread his cheeks, Nick leaned forward to ghost a breath over the sensitive skin there.

Ellis' reaction was electric, jolting forward with a bitten-back groan. He was left panting subtly, arms struggling to hold himself up with a bit of a shiver. The room was warm, particularly with Nick's hands rubbing over him, but he felt exposed all the same.

He'd had his shirt or his pants off in the clinic before, but the circumstances had been very different. Still, he wondered if Nick had looked at him in those moments. Had he stared a little too long? Relished the chance to touch him? Gone home, laid awake, fisting his cock to the thought of doing what they were presently doing?

Ellis had certainly done the latter more than once.

"N- uh, Doc'... Are you gonna do somethin', or just -" 

His pulse jumped when the older man reached one hand out to pick up the tube he'd set on the instrument table nearby. "I can go slower, if you'd like." he threatened in a tone that managed to sound like a genuine offer. While the younger man couldn't see, he could hear the pop of the cap, and the sputter as he squeezed out the lubricant. Ellis felt his whole body tense up with awareness, breath catching in his throat.

He hadn't been nervous since the moment Nick kissed him. Frantic, urgent, maybe - but until then, he hadn't felt nervous. It caused his breath to shudder into an exhale, stilted.

Something stirred in the back of his mind, a quiet roar that began to grow louder. He didn't know what they were doing or what the implications were, and the implications mattered, this time. He could've played off a failed invitation to go out and he could have avoided the other half of a fling-gone-wrong, but sex with Nick was... complicated.

Wanting it desperately didn't change the fact that it was complicated.

The doctor noticed, perhaps noticing more than anything his sudden silence. Nick shifted forward, stepping up one shoe onto the table's single stair so he could bend down and dust kisses over the other man's rigid back. "You okay, sweetheart?" 

When Ellis didn't respond beyond a faint hum, the older man didn't pry, but he did slow. Grazing stubble and soothing lips helped slowly relax him, pushing the thoughts down and away. There was nothing to do, and it wasn't as if he was going to leave now. 

Nick seemed to wait till some of the tension had left his shoulders before he proceeded.

A slick fingertip slid abruptly against the Georgian's entrance. The lubricant was thicker than he expected, more of a jelly, and the cold pressure was quickly warmed by their combined body heat. Nick massaged the flat underside of his middle finger against the tight ring of muscle there, pushing against it, mouth suckling a few marks into the soft skin around his waist. 

Ellis melted instantly, knees shuffling further apart on the table with a moaned sigh. Pleasure overtook his anticipation, and the doctor took advantage of his relaxation to push his fingertip inside, the motion slick but straining against tight muscles. 

His hips rolled back against the older man's hand and Nick obliged him, pushing his digit in deeper as his teeth bit down again against his back, softer that time, but lustful. Shudders traveled up the mechanic's body, urgently needy.

"Ah Lord - keep goin' - _please,_ doc'..." 

Nick worked him for a few moments pushing against the muscles there until his middle finger slid smoothly in its thrusts, and a second finger fit. It was tight, and he had to slow for a few moments when it pushed Ellis a little too far. The Georgian's injured arm nearly crumpled underneath him, forcing Nick to quickly support him with his free arm wrapped under his body.

The motion forced Nick to lean forward to manage the gesture, arm twisting to keep his fingers seated inside Ellis, and it was so close to mounting him that Ellis felt heat spool up his spine, barely resisting the urge to push back on him.

Ellis panted out a faint "Sorry." as he regained his composure enough to support himself again. Nick merely smirked against his shoulder, stroking his fingers gently in and out of his body. The cradling arm slipped a bit, and the doctor's wrist brushed against Ellis' hardening erection where it had begun to perk up toward his stomach.

He spoke suddenly. "You look so good like this, maybe I'll just get you off again, Mr. Walker." Though it feigned playful distance, there was a heavy grate of lust at the edge of his voice.

The brunette immediately squirmed, tone desperate as he tossed his head into a shake. "N-no, don't, I -" He broke off with a clamped jaw, embarrassed when his words suddenly turned into a moan. Nick had pumped his fingers faintly, the motion slick as protesting muscles finally gave in more fully.

"Don't worry. I'm not _that_ patient." Nick's fingers gave a lengthy, exploring spread, pushing up into him smoothly. The doctor got a short, wanting buck out of Ellis' hips, then pulled his fingers out carefully. 

Ellis protested quietly with a small groan when Nick's arm pulled away from his waist. He turned his head, looking over his shoulder with a soft inhale sucked between his teeth and his lower lip as Dr. Soretto straightened. 

Pulling his shirt out of its tuck in his slacks, he unbuttoned it from the bottom up, each one popping open to bare a few more inches of his torso. A lean core, worked to a slim and even musculature, was dusted with dark hair and marked here and there with whitened scars.

Ellis' mouth went dry as the doctor pulled his shirt off and tossed it to join his coat over the instrument table. Blue eyes flicked rapidly to devour the sight, chewing at his lip, and his head cocked as his brain settled long enough to process what he was seeing.

The scars caught his eyes. They weren't like Keith's - they were knife wounds, bullet wounds, interspersed over his body and very old. Had he been an ounce more sensible, Ellis might've put together a way to ask about them - but all he could do was stare softly for a moment, and somewhere mark down his curiousity in the back of his head. 

Nick's beltbuckle jingled faintly as he unfastened it, shedding his slacks and nudging his shoes off with nowhere near the care he'd taken to strip the Georgian. Ellis went swirling into dizziness as his gaze followed Nick's hands, the doctor's long-denied erection jutting harshly against the fabric of his briefs. 

"Oh." was all Ellis could whisper, eyes widening and tongue wetting at his lower lip.

The green-eyed medic didn't seem shamed in the slightest. The other man's gaze made him smirk, casually peeling his briefs away to give the deeply reddened length a dry stroke, the blushing flesh tight under his fingertips. 

Ellis' head bobbed with a slight gulp, lips parting to pant heavily as his pulse darted into a quick fluttering. If he weren't so desperate to feel it fucking up into him, he might've tried to coax the older man to let him get his mouth on it.

As it was, he remained silent, cocking his hips up in an eager arch. Nick did not miss it, his eyes narrowing sharply as he took in the sight. The doctor smoothly reached over to retrieve the foiled condom from half-underneath his stripped dress shirt, tearing it open and shaking out the rubber. 

Nick lifted his chin faintly as he settled the circular condom against the tip of his cock. He rolled the latex down over his length, fingers exaggerating and stroking out the motions for his partner's benefit. His smirk was a little wolfish, bare with raw emotion, and it was only as he smoothed it down to his root that he grabbed the lube back up from the instrument table. 

Ellis watched with delicately focused attention, little shudders tracing up his body as the doctor squeezed out a bit into his palm, slicking up the straining rubber that now cloaked his erection. It was only as he finished that he tossed the tube away and stalked suddenly forward.

Where he'd been slow and calm in his torture before, he now _lunged._

The younger man whimpered softly through parted lips, starting to squirm forward on the exam table to make room like the doctor might just crawl up and climb on top of him - but he only got a few inches before Nick slung an arm around his waist and pulled him tight to his chest. 

Rather than kneel over him, he pulled the kid into a soft half-roll, getting the Georgian on his side and aligning himself next to him. The exam table was only barely large enough to fit them both. 

Ellis gasped slightly as he was pulled, startled but pleasantly so, grabbing onto Nick's forearm with his good hand while his bandaged arm hung a little limp out and off the edge of the table. His fingers curled hard, gently digging into skin. The doctor latched softly onto the crook of his neck where he'd already left a mark, licking at the spot to stir already-abused nerves. 

The arm that Ellis wasn't grasping onto slid down, resting itself along the shape of his frame, fingers curling softly onto the inside of his thigh. Nick lifted it up, supporting his leg in the air, and he curled his hips into the space between the Southerner's now-spread legs. 

Their bodies molded together, pressing close in total bareness, burning heat between and around them - Nick's mouth on Ellis' neck, Ellis' head quickly lolling back with a gasp to brace on the older man's shoulder, the doctor's arm looped tightly around his torso, the mechanic's fingers digging into it desperately.

There was a moment where they laid there, a spare few seconds where Nick's nose nuzzled up the line of his neck and laid a kiss against his jaw and it felt different. It felt like nothing Ellis had experienced before. He felt... safe.

It only took the smallest of guidance from Nick's supporting hand, just barely turning at its wrist, to push the head of his erection against Ellis' entrance. 

When those hips rolled forward and into him, the firm tip pushing past the still-tight muscles there, Ellis' whole body shuddered up with a senseless cry that rang through the whole - fortunately empty - clinic.

A moan faintly buzzed by his ear: the doctor's voice, graveled and low, hungrily tightening his arm around his lover as the Georgian's muscles tightened around the thick length breaching onto him, slick with the dense and almost sticky gel. 

Ellis didn't have much leverage. With Nick's hand holding his leg spread and his other arm clutching him tight, he was almost stuck. That didn't stop him from trying, though, rolling his hips as far back as possible with a moan. The doctor growled softly, twisting his head to bite down on a spot closer to Ellis' shoulder. 

Gasping in almost-but-not-quite protest, Ellis rolled his head to the side and whined loudly, voice struggling. "Hoh - shit, ah... I-I c'n take it, p-please, Do-" 

"Nick." It was a correction and permission all at once, and he punctuated it with a hard rut of his hips that buried him hilt-deep in the Georgian. Sweat was building up between them, both their voices tinged with a certain breathlessness. 

From there Ellis crumbled. He couldn't piece together a coherent thought - let alone any utterance more verbose than moans and airy mewls, clutching to the green-eyed medic's arm as he rolled his hips in an even, deep rhythm. Each movement rustled the paper underneath them, the sound abrasive but strangely fascinating. He rolled them to strike up at an angle, sending shocks through Ellis' whole body each time.

The doctor's mouth traveled, biting softly along the swell of Ellis' neck, forcing his head to twitch and roll to oblige him. Hot, edged sighs escaped the older man and peppered the skin he was toying with.

Ellis arched into the thrusts, a snap of Nick's hips jutting into that sweet spot inside of him, and he let out a throaty keen as his muscles clenched around his lover. The tightness slowed him, cock held in the heat and softness of Ellis' body. 

Nick stiffened an instant - then growled in a hush of air, hoisting Ellis' leg a little higher and rutting fiercely into him. Deep strokes moved with a slick force, their hips colliding with the slap of skin-on-skin, Ellis barely able to move as the medic's cock drove into him with increasing ferocity, finding his prostrate with its blunt tip. 

The paper beneath them did not survive, ripping under their weight and the twist of their bodies. 

Ellis shouted out, body quaking with the pleasure that jolted up his body like electricity. "N-Ni-Nick!" escaped him in a stuttered cadence as the collisions traveled up his frame, the unfamiliar name drawled sharply as his exhausted body teetered on the edge of climax a second time. He felt himself leaking against his stomach, body tightening, so close.

Not that it stopped the doctor - he might've even sped up, thrusts shortening as he kept himself seated deep in between their apexes, bucking against the Georgian's hips to shove him into orgasm. 

He came hard, trying desperately to arch his spine but restrained by the doctor's arm. Waves of pleasure made him squirm his hips, unable to speak past a choked, desperate sound, the hot splatter of his release striking his belly and leaking onto the table beneath them. 

There was only a few short seconds where Nick kept moving, not slowing the urgency of his pistoned motions while Ellis' body tensed and clutched around him. Ellis thought he might scream when another thrust hit his prostrate and his cock pulsed, almost painful - but the older man was not far behind. 

Though the condom kept his seed from spilling up into him, Ellis felt the doctor climax: the rush of sudden heat, Nick jamming his hips tight forward to bury his cock as deep as he could manage before he stilled, and a heavy pulsing striking up deep into his lover's body. 

They both stilled slowly, practically stuck tight to each other just by clawing, grasping need, and the length of still-rigid flesh binding them together. Nick's mouth was limply set on Ellis' shoulder, panting harshly against his skin as he tried to catch his breath. 

Ellis' came in whimpers, whining faintly with each inhale. His body shuddered softly as the aftershocks of his second climax in so short a time crippled him. He nuzzled his head sideways, turning his cheek to Dr. Soretto's forehead, gasping softly. 

The doctor let Ellis' leg go gently, lifting up his arm to join his other one in a wrap around Ellis' body, cradling him in silence. He just barely adjusted his hips to pull his softening length out of Ellis, but beyond that, he sacrificed no closeness. The jelly coated their skin, squelching as Nick idly pushed his hips forward to bury his pelvis and spent member against the Georgian's rump.

It was only partially sexual. Mostly, it just seemed like an attempt to draw them as close together as possible.

Ellis closed his eyes, exhausted. Every inch of him buzzed and his legs were mostly numb. He could feel his skin flushed, fingers trembling a bit before he let them relax in their death-grip on Nick's forearm. 

Slowly, they calmed down, relaxing down against the ruined paper covering that wasn't exactly covering anything anymore. Ellis' whimpering settled slowly, the empty feeling after the doctor pulled out soothed by his body's sated hum and the tight hold Nick had on him. 

Grazing stubble tickled against his neck, the doctor dusting kisses from bruise to bruise on the curl of Ellis' neck and shoulder. He spoke lowly, almost confiding. "... shit... I haven't done something like this in - ... you're wonderful." 

A soft sigh of pleasure escaped the brunette, wishing he could do more than just barely smile and breathe a faint "You, too." 

He meant it. He felt calm, pulse slowing very gradually in his veins, the touches and the hold nicer than he'd ever expected. He didn't feel used, as he sometimes felt. It didn't feel rushed and messy and shameful. He just felt a pleasure, a warmth, a comfort.

"I'll drive you home in a little while. You can come get your car tomorrow." Dr. Soretto's voice spoke just against the crook of his neck, and Ellis just nodded in silent agreement. He'd never be able to drive; he was almost falling asleep. 

The Georgian didn't want to go at all, if he were being honest. He wanted to stay here or beg Dr. Soretto to take him to _his_ home - unfortunately, still living with his Ma meant there was no way he could. She had lifted his curfew years ago, but if he wasn't home for breakfast, she'd call the police.

Ellis turned his head a little, and he let his eyes drift open. Some surprise struck him when he saw Nick staring at his face, green irises calm and not ashamed to shift to match his gaze when he was caught. 

He felt himself flush. Craning his head, the Southerner pushed his chin up to kiss the doctor - just to cover up his embarrassment, and as some silent apology. 

Ellis felt a smirk against his lips.

Maybe it wouldn't be so complicated after all. 


	2. Chapter 2

Mrs. Walker barely even looked up from the dishes she was scrubbing clean in the sink as her son shuffled into the kitchen. He flopped into a chair at the little breakfast table in the center of the tiled room, setting his foot on one of the legs out of subconscious habit to stop the rickety thing from rocking when he set his elbows on it.

"Mornin', Ma." he chirped affectionately, reaching up to carefully adjust the turtleneck of the blue sweater he was wearing. His fingers drifted to stroke along the curve of his neck, feeling little twinges of pain from the still-sore bites that had faded to speckled colour on his skin.

"Mornin', pumpkin. How's yer arm, baby?" The woman, curly brunette hair gathered in a bob that was painstakingly worked into spirals, reached up to take a washcloth off the neck of the sink faucet, starting to dry plates with a smile over her shoulder. They were mirror images of each other, only twenty years apart.

Ellis chuckled softly, glancing down at it. He withheld a sigh as best he could, trying hard not to let it tinge his tone. "Awh, it's real good, Ma. Ain't barely hurt all night."

It'd been three days since he'd gotten hurt - three days since Nick and he had been intimate, and three days since he'd heard a single word from the doctor. While part of him had prepared for such an eventuality, he couldn't deny that he was gutted over it. 

Nick  _ knew _ his phone number. And the number for the garage. They'd both gotten shared around at one point or another for various reasons, although never with the thought they might actually be used for this.

The night -  _ that _ night - had ended uneventfully. Nick had driven him home, and they hadn't talked much during the trip, as Ellis had barely kept himself awake. Before he knew it, they were outside his house, and he'd scrambled out to rush inside. He'd fumbled out a "Thank you.", which had felt like an awkward thing to say, and ran.

Maybe he'd messed up. Maybe he should've stopped and kissed him. Maybe he should have, at least, actually said goodnight. Maybe he'd hurt the man's feelings... or, maybe, it just hadn't meant anything to the doctor, and the silence was his attempt at a passive rejection. 

"Oh good, baby. You want somethin' f'breakfast?"

The Georgian nodded gently. "Yeah, sure, Ma! Thanks." he responded, keeping his voice chipper. If he didn't, she'd catch onto something being wrong, and he couldn't explain it to her. He'd never been able to explain his orientation to anyone - and certainly not his family, not her and not Keith.

He didn't know how they'd react. Considering they were nearly his whole world, that was an insurmountable obstacle and a question he never wanted to learn the answer to. He'd never met someone he wanted bad enough to risk losing his family, and part of him thought he never would.

If only he could have both.

He let his gaze drop to his hands, inhaling deeply and crinkling his brow lightly. He didn't know how to feel. It wasn't like he'd expected the doctor to immediately fall over himself to be with him, but three days felt like an eternity. Three days felt like long enough to dispel his hopes.

He'd patiently waited the first day, been filled with uncertainty the second, and was now stuck in a resigned discontent and, reluctantly, admitted he was incredibly disappointed. He didn't want to call _ ; _ if the doctor wasn't interested in him, the last thing he wanted to do was look desperate. And if Nick  _ was  _ interested, then looking needy might change his mind.

What did _he_ even want? Ellis had never had anything he'd qualify as a relationship. He'd tried once or twice, when he was younger, but the pressure of keeping things secret always took its toll. It seemed like something that was simply out of reach, beyond him, whether he wanted it or not.

He'd been called a lot of things by the men he'd slept with in the past, and they'd said plenty of things they didn't mean. Closeness and affection came easy in moments like that, and he'd learned quickly not to expect it to last to the morning. It was better to come in anticipating the disappointment and brace for it, so that was what he tried to do.

So why had he believed it when Nick called him 'sweetheart'?

Trying not to drift too far into the thought, Ellis forced himself to look up as his mother started the process of firing up breakfast, the stove already humming faintly as the slightly old thing kicked into gear. The only sensible option was to try to move on and forget about it. He'd eventually see the doctor again, that was for sure, and maybe things would make sense then. 

So, he prompted, "You cookin' bacon, Ma?"

"Yep. Know ya like it." She smiled at him affectionately over her shoulder. He gave her a smile back, rolling his eyes a little bashfully. "Won't be surprised if Keith comes runnin' through the wall like the Kool-Aid man, minute I get this cookin'." Just before she turned back forward, she gave an 'oh', body snapping straight. "Baby - almost fergot. Posty on the fridge for ya."

Ellis blinked gently, bobbing his head obediently as he pushed to stand up. His mother could be forgetful and flighty on the best of days, so she usually left him notes the moment something would occur to her. He was used to it, although the irony of her forgetting to remind him to check wasn't totally lost on him.

He padded over to the fridge on socked feet, pulling his jeans up a little on his hip, scanning quickly over for the post-it note he didn't recognize. There were a lot - groceries, recipes, messages, reminders... some of them were days old and some were weeks old, and as he scanned them, he took a few of the older ones off and crumpled them in his palm.

Then he saw it. A neon blue one, fresh and crisp, just by the handle. His eyes widened as he read it. His heart tried valiantly not to pound out of his chest. 

_ 'El baby - Dr. S. called. Wants you to come in AM to check arm. Sorry for taking so long to get back to you.' _

"S'gotta be the nicest man, takin' care'uh you an' Keith like he does without complainin'. You tell him I said hello, baby, when ya -" Mrs. Walker's words cut short when she heard the sudden squeaking of the front door opening and then shutting. Startled, she gently turned around, blinking as she held up the ribbed pan she'd been about to set on the stovetop. 

"Sorry, Ma'! Can't keep the Doc' waitin'. I'll heat breakfast up when I get back!" Ellis' voice shouted back as an afterthought.

"...Pumpkin?" she uttered, confused, to a kid that was already halfway to his truck.

It wasn't completely unusual behaviour, but generally, his speedy exit would be fueled by a call from Keith, not a trip to the doctor's. Her gaze only reluctantly ticked back towards the oven, continuing on in her efforts to cook up breakfast, determined to have something for when he came back.

Maybe his arm had hurt more than he'd admitted.


	3. Chapter 3

Dr. Soretto's office was never packed, but it did host a generally consistent flow of appointments. There were enough rural properties nearby - and enough overflow from the city - that his daily docket seemed to be kept full. Still, with the practice consisting of just him, that meant one patient an hour... at best. 

Ellis was, then, surprised to find the waiting room relatively stuffed. 

He pushed in through the door, gaze finding the two black leather couches that sat on the leftmost wall. One was taken up by a familiar man in his sixties - a neighbor, whose name escaped him. The other was host to a woman he didn't recognize, arms wrapped around a toddler perched in her lap.

He had a bright red rash over the left side of his face, soft brown eyes teary, and was in the process of holding his trembling lower lip still by pure focus and willpower.

Ellis felt a swell of sympathy, right next to a knot of insecurity. 

Coming to the clinic during work hours felt tremendously different. Instead of the relative intimacy of darkness and an empty building, it felt like he was invading a space not meant for him. He felt... intrusive, and in that intrusion, he felt exposed.

The man looked up at him, some consternation twisting at his mouth, and Ellis felt himself stiffen uncomfortably.  _ It ain't like he's sittin' there, thinkin', 'Oh, look, he must be here tuh kiss the doctor' - but man, it sure feels like it. Stickin' out like'uh sore thumb. _

Ellis had done a variety of things, all with a variety of risk and danger. Kissing a classmate in the woods had felt exciting. Dropping to his knees in a bar bathroom for a near-stranger had felt exhilarating. Sliding into the car of a hookup he'd connected with anonymously online had felt - scary, if he were honest, and he hadn't done much of that since.

Still, it had always maintained an element of control in his hands. He'd always kept things separated, and kept them just far enough from himself that he didn't have to worry about them seeping into other parts of his life. He didn't have to worry about his family finding out.

Standing there, frozen, he felt a pluck of fear twang in his chest.

He felt out of place, and a bit like running.

"Mr. Walker." came the pleasant, soft-as-lace voice of the clinic's receptionist. He wheeled around to face the desk, startled eyes gone wide, and found her peering thoughtfully over the top edge of her computer monitor at him. 

Her soft orange hair - starting to go a gentle blonde in places where age lightened it - was delicately coiled into a high ponytail, only a few strands escaped and summarily pushed behind her ears. Her chin lifted, face drawing into view, the lightest application of mascara on her pale lashes and an appealingly stark plum on her lips.

"Oh, uh." he fumbled, tongue twisting before he managed to reorient himself. "Uh, hi, Ms. Cornell. How're you? How's Trip?"

Her eyes softened just slightly, and her head tilted. Her voice dropped to a murmur, almost privately. "Starting third grade next week, and still convinced he's not going to make friends. But better. At least he's talking about it."

Patty Cornell had been Soretto's receptionist as long as Ellis had known him, and he was fairly sure she'd been there from the beginning. She'd divorced her husband some time ago under circumstances Ellis had not pried into; her son, Trip, was not a product of that marriage. She'd adopted him almost two years ago.

He was ten, a year behind in school compared to his peers, and struggled. Ellis had also not pried into his situation, but he got the feeling Trip had come from a less-than-loving household. It had taken him some time to warm up to her, let alone others. He'd gotten to meet him once, the pale-skinned and lanky kid politely seated on the ground behind his mother's desk and furiously writing in a notebook.

A shy wave had been all he'd gotten, though Ms. Cornell had assured Ellis that was better than what most people got.

"I don't remember seeing you on the schedule for today." she interjected, attention turning to her monitor. Her fingertips darted to rattle across the keyboard, a line drawing itself between her eyebrows. "Is this about your after-hours? I was going to call you today about your co-pay."

Ellis' mouth opened, though not a sound came out. It was only natural that she'd know he'd been at the clinic - it was her job, after all - but he couldn't stop his brain from a quiet flat-line. 

The idea of Nick calmly alerting her to the late-night impromptu appointment did not pass his attention without notice -  _ 'Oh, yeah, Ellis Walker came in, 'n'I definitely did not fuck his brains out.'  _ \- and paying for the affair brought a variety of strange thoughts to the forefront of his mind.

"N-no, uh - I mean, yeah, but - he just called'n'said -"

He could see the subtle annoyance starting at the corners of her mouth, just before the door to the back opened up, and Dr. Soretto leaned out, arm holding the door open as a slim woman stepped past him.

"- alright." he was in the middle of saying, though his attention quickly diverted down to his wrist, glancing at the watch there with the smallest frown. It was a look that Ellis only noticed by chance, and it disappeared almost instantly, replaced by a calm smile. "Set up a follow-up with Ms. Cornell for a few months, I'll -"

Nick looked toward the desk, but his gaze instead found Ellis.

He'd never seen someone melt at the sight of him. He'd never seen someone look at him and soften so, like all the tension left his body, like there was a moment of peace and calm. It was not happiness, precisely, but more an all-encompassing relief.

The doctor was much cleaned-up compared to the previous week, clean-shaven and bright-eyed, his clothes pressed and neat. His white coat was open just enough to reveal the sky-blue button-down beneath it, the otherwise pale and muted colours broken up sharply by the yellow tie peeking out from his collar.

Ellis couldn't help but smile, just a little, shyly biting at the inside of his cheek. It eased some of his nerves, to know that the doctor was glad to see him... and had been, perhaps, just as nervous beforehand.

Then the older man's expression was gone, almost as fast as his frown had gone, covered over by a stern pinch.

He turned away, looking instead toward the two people seated in the waiting room, clasping his hands together. An apologetic tilt touched his head, voice subtly harried. "Sorry, today's a little crazy. Mrs. Frey, do you mind waiting a couple more minutes?"

As the first woman slipped past Ellis and approached the front desk, Ms. Cornell was distracted out of her agitated glare toward Nick and instead spoke in quiet tones with the other woman. Ellis took advantage of the distraction and scuttled a few steps forward, trying to find the proper amount of distance to put between himself and the doctor.

The mother seated on the couch smiled gently, tilting her head to look at the young boy seated on her lap. "That's fine." She nudged her knees up, giving him just a single bounce, just soft enough to catch his attention. "We can wait, right, Sam?"

Blinking between his mother and Nick, the young boy nodded blearily, jutting his chin out stubbornly. "Ya." he stated, letting off a confidence that seemed mostly mirrored from her.

Nick offered a smile toward them, then turned smoothly to walk back toward the door to the back. His shoulders prickled slightly as the receptionist's dull glare reignited on him, though it turned innocuous upon matching with Ellis'. 

He tried to smile at her, sheepishly, but she'd already refocused on the patient standing next to her desk.

The door closed behind him. Wordlessly focused, Nick kept moving, striding toward the exam room they'd entirely-too-recently violated. Ellis didn't know how to arrange himself, didn't know how to walk, and certainly didn't know what to say.

That left him stuck in a dumb silence, right up until he'd stepped into the room, and Dr. Soretto had closed the door behind him. Nervous energy took over the moment they were truly alone, and Ellis stood just inside the door and swung his arms gently. 

"Wow, you sure are busy, Doc'. Ain't never seen three people in here all at once. You doin' a special tuhday or somethin'?"

He laughed - giggled, if he were being honest, driven by nerves - but stifled himself to silence with a knuckle against his mouth when Nick did not. He'd expected some discomfort between them, but felt more daunted than he'd expected.  _ Man. I... sure hope shit ain't... gonna be weird, if - _

He didn't want to go down that line of thinking, and instead mumbled, "Uh... sorry if Ms. Patty's angry, uh... I didn't mean tuh come while you was busy. Just Mama didn't tell me you called until later, 'n'... I got here soon's I could."

The doctor looked at him with something akin to bewilderment, mouth quirking strangely, before he seemed to very carefully walk across to the other side of the room. He settled a hand on the wheeled, backless stool left beside the exam table, then seemed to think better of standing and turned to sit on it.

Nick placed his elbows on his knees, lacing his fingers in the air between them, and cleared his throat. When he spoke, it was gingerly.

"I'm... glad you came. But I'm not going to assume why." His words seemed carefully selected, and Ellis felt his shoulders lower, concern reducing his anxiety to a thoughtful tension instead of a hectic static. "If you don't want to talk about it, I can check on your arm, and you can go home."

His tone was so measured as to be delicate, like he allowed precisely as much sincerity as he could without letting it overwhelm his calm. He aimed, no doubt, for stoicism - and instead put off the subtle impression of being a hair's breadth from a wince.

Ellis was surprised by it, and he faltered, unsure.

"Do..." he tried, aiming for a gentle tone. "Do  _ you  _ want to talk 'bout it? I kinda thought you were... avoidin' me, or..." Ellis' voice broke softly as he finished, lamely, "It's been a few days."

He didn't mean to sound disappointed, but he had been.

Nick's gaze flickered up toward his before darting to the side, his lower lip shifting where he curled his tongue over his bottom teeth. He inhaled, and then closed his eyes. Regret flinched at the corners of his lips. 

"I thought you might need some space, and I didn't want to make you feel - pressured." The doctor's voice accelerated slightly as he eased out of his rigid posture, turning instead to a stressed sincerity. "We didn't exactly discuss it, last week, and without knowing how you... felt, calling your house seemed -" 

The man paused, long enough for Ellis to supply in a quiet voice: "Inappropriate?"

A soft frown twitched at Nick's mouth, affirming the statement without opening his eyes. He sighed instead, shoulders falling, and took a moment to pull his glasses off his nose and tuck them into his coat pocket. He rubbed the bridge of his nose as if to ward off a headache.

"... I'm an ass." he stated, dryly. "And I made this harder than it needed to be. I'm sorry."

The swear relieved Ellis more than he cared to admit, biting at his lower lip to hide the beginnings of a smile. Still, he felt uncertain. What did the awkwardness between them mean? And what did Nick want - for that matter, what did  _ he  _ want?

Tentative, Ellis approached, closing the distance to stand just a foot or so in front of him. The doctor's attention lifted, watching him come near, expression guarded.

"How 'bout I make it simple, then: I want'cha tuh call me." he murmured, voice smooth, gaze flickering over Nick's face, trying to hunt out a reaction. He got nothing at all, but he persisted, stubbornly lifting his chin. "... 'n'I'd like it a whole lot if we could... see each other again."

Dr. Soretto's weight shifted, spine straightening, taking in Ellis' posture and expression with cautious attention. There, finally, his eyes softened, and his mouth curled into a fond half-smile as he uttered, "When you say, 'see' -"

Rather than clarify in words, Ellis gripped his hands into fists and took one more step forward, bending at the waist. He reached up to grab the man's tie at the knot, pulling him forward just a half-inch by it, and the surprise that flattened the older man's features was gratifying. 

He closed the gap, nestling his mouth warmly against Nick's. This time, it was reciprocated.

The man's hand stretched up to settle against his cheek, remaining there as the kiss softened to a tender meld. Their mouths linked, the doctor's tongue grazing Ellis' lower lip in a gentle motion. It was sweeter than their first couple kisses, gentler, but shortly broken before the contact between them could heat up.

Ellis lingered there, nose brushing against Nick's, and the man's eyes were low-lidded with a soft attention.

A sigh left Nick thoughtfully, and his thumb brushed the younger man's cheek. It was a wanting gesture, yet somehow restrained. "I'd like that, too." he murmured. "Do you have your phone?"

The Georgian blinked, taking a half-step back without moving so far that either of them were forced to let go. He kept his grip on Nick's tie, thumbing against the material, and reached to pull his cellphone out of his back pocket. He started to thumb to his contacts, hovering his fingertip over the existing one labeled  _ 'Dr. S' _ \- loaded with the clinic's number - and instead opening up a new one.

He glanced up, face warming as he found the older man's gaze firmly locked on his mouth. The fact that he was biting his lower lip had gone mostly beyond his notice, but not Nick's.

Turning the phone around and holding it out to the doctor, Ellis barely resisted a smile. "Prolly best yuh don't call me on the house number." he mumbled thoughtlessly. "Mama ain't nosy, but... she ain't dumb, neither, so..."

The doctor had started to tap on the screen, slightly awkward with his left hand, but that made him pause. For a moment, his gaze flickered up, but it quickly refocused back down onto the phone. "Yeah." he responded, quietly, and several unasked questions sat in the silence between that word and the next. "No more showing up without an appointment, either, unless Mr. Nelson's involved."

Ellis couldn't fight a quiet burst of nerves, shifting on his heels - and he felt it mirrored back to him in the way the doctor's hand dropped from his cheek. Discussing the secrecy necessitated by their circumstance felt like too much, too fast, and he wasn't even sure what  _ 'their circumstance' _ was quite yet.

He definitely wanted a repeat of the other night, but things were so much more complicated than he wanted them to be. Not the least complicating factor was the bubbly sensation that roiled in his gut at Nick's touch, at his voice, at his presence -

And that was definitely too much, too fast.

Before that thought could coalesce further, Dr. Soretto held the phone back out. Ellis grabbed for it with both hands, taking a half-step back as he peered down at the screen. The contact had been saved as, simply,  _ 'Nick' _ , and the only information under it was an email address.

He couldn't help a double-take, and also couldn't help a confused blink up toward the other man.

Nick had already prepared a grimace, and the way he reached up to rub at the back of his neck was endearingly embarrassed. He looked self-conscious.  _ Aw, hell, he's cute.  _

"I don't have a cell. Or a landline at home - I have a pager, but that's for Patty, and -"

Quickly, Ellis lifted his left hand, waving his fingers with a stifled laugh. "Are you serious? Whut kinda rock you been livin' under? I gotta  _ email _ fer a hook-up?" He couldn't help it, humour winning out over his self-doubt. "Keith's gramps  has'uh damn cellphone."

The doctor's expression dropped to a muted scowl, and Ellis might've second-guessed his teasing if Nick hadn't abruptly stood, advancing a step and circling an arm around his waist to draw him close in a yank. The younger man couldn't muster the desire to play hard to get, nestling into the grip, one hand settling on the doctor's chest.

Nick lowered his face to bridge their height difference, murmuring just an inch from Ellis' mouth. "I'd learn Morse code if it meant 'seeing' you again."

His heart skipped a beat, and Ellis couldn't help but tilt his chin up, reducing that distance by half. "Carrier pigeon?" he offered, half-ghosted, voice taking on the softest tremble. "Keith tried tuh train a squirrel tuh do that, once, but -"

The way Nick broke into a grin was enough to make his knees go weak. It was brilliant in an instant of unrestrained amusement, genuine pleasure, and then it muted itself into a small smirk. He exhaled, and then murmured, "I've got patience."

The urge to kiss him felt unbearable, but Ellis managed to hold himself still, echoing, "Me too."

He didn't expect Dr. Soretto to blink at him with an abrupt edge of confusion, and the sudden bark of laughter that bolted from him made Ellis' brows screw up. "No, ah... Patients. I've got  _ patients. _ With appointments. The ones waiting outside."

Embarrassment flooded Ellis' body with a warm heat, and he withdrew, clapping a hand on top of his cap in a bashful gesture. "Uh - oh. Yeah, yeah. 'Course. Sorry. I'll get out'ch'yer way, Doc'." At Nick's soft smile, he hesitated, darting forward and pressing onto the balls of his feet in order to brush a kiss against the doctor's cheek. "See yuh."

Nick watched him leave with a murmured, "See you." A smile lingered on his lips, his hand lifting to nudge his palm against his cheek in a soft touch, like he could feel the left-over heat from the younger man's lips. 

It took him a moment, after the door to the waiting room had clicked shut, to remember himself. "... Shit." he grunted aloud, green eyes darting toward the ceiling. "I didn't check his arm."

It had only been partially an excuse to see him, after all.

With a sigh - one that was mostly amused - Dr. Soretto settled his palm more firmly against his jaw and closed his eyes, trying to regain his composure before he allowed himself to move. He needed to  _ not  _ look as tentatively thrilled as he felt.

He did not know what he was getting himself into, but he knew it would be worth it. However long it lasted, whatever it was, he'd take it.

And he'd make the most of it.


	4. Chapter 4

The large van hoisted up a few inches on the garage's carjack provided perfect cover to hide behind. Ellis couldn't bear not to work even though his arm hadn't healed up yet, but he'd been delegated to the small tasks that wouldn't risk injuring him too much - like the oil change he was currently supposed to be performing.

Paul was  _ very _ clear about not having phones in the garage, parroting out the sentiment that it'd look bad to any customers who looked in. Normally he obeyed, but Ellis hadn't let his phone leave his person all day.

Crouching down with a hunch to his shoulders, Ellis cradled his cellphone close, blue eyes rapt on the screen as he carefully clicked through menus. The phone had buzzed a few seconds previous, alerting him of a message. 

Scratching softly at his arm, Ellis took care not to catch a nail on his wound closures. The bandages had come off and he was just wearing it bare. He should've had it covered in the shop to keep it clean, but it had begun to itch under the loose wrap he'd put on it, and he wasn't worried. With his free hand, the Georgian smiled reflexively as the screen announced a new email in his inbox.

Excitedly thumbing the key to open his email application with a little hum, Ellis was both surprised and thrilled to see **'nicolas.s@hotmail.com'** listed in the top corner of the screen.

**"Hey."** was all it said - just one tiny word.

It was exhilarating. It made him giddy, made him wriggle his weight where he was crouched on the garage floor. He no doubt looked more than a little foolish, but couldn't get himself to care.

The doctor must've been using a computer in the back of his clinic, considering it was during business hours. The idea that he'd taken the time to sit down and load up his email just to reach out was... something special.  _ Oh, man. Muh damn tummy's doin' backflips. _

**"Hi Nick."** he typed out, making a careful effort to forego the usual shorthand and lack of punctuation he used with Keith and Paul.  **"How are you doin?"** Grinning gently at the screen, his thumb fingering the phone keys thoughtfully, Ellis added a  **":)"** and sent it.

Ellis had emailed him the day previous, right after he'd gotten home from his 'checkup', both to nervously confirm that he'd been given the correct email address and to share his own in return. The doctor had responded, but it had been an unfortunately short interaction. There was some awkwardness, some uncertainty on how to continue, at least in Ellis' estimation.

He'd wanted so badly to break the ice, and hadn't quite been sure of how.

Nick's response dinged in, the cellphone screen lighting up with a soft buzz. Ellis smiled widely, opening it up with a little bite to his lower lip. He couldn't fight a squirm, unable to contain just how excited it made him.

**"Pretty good. I just had to give a tetanus shot - aren't you lucky you were still covered?"**

Ellis gave a soft laugh under his breath, shaking his head. He couldn't help but grin, feeling a surge of playful energy surge up alongside his embarrassment as he typed up his response.  **"Oh you're funny. I hate shots, man. But you know, I dunno if I'd mind as much if YOU were givin it."**

Continuing to giggle in waves of self-satisfied humour, the Georgian waited - grinning wider with each second - for a response. The wait dragged on in silence for a few moments, and he could only try and picture the bemusement spawned on the doctor's face as he regarded the message on his screen.

A smirk, perhaps, and a raised brow, the kind of look that set his heart to pounding... the subtle restraint to the curl of his lips.

Then another email came in. **"You're a bit old for a lollipop, aren't you?"**

Ellis immediately squirmed where he was crouched, fighting more laughter as he cradled the phone with both hands. He let his weight shift back, settling onto his rear and relaxing his legs out in a sprawl in front of himself. Rolling his lower lip between his teeth, unfocused, he shot back, **"Maybe a kiss? ;)"**

The doctor responded almost immediately.  **"Only a kiss? You aim too low, sweetheart. Or too high."**

Ellis' heart skipped a beat at the pet name, sitting forward slightly. He knew he was beaming out a goofy smile, but it was beyond his control. It didn't take him more than a second to get the innuendo behind the affection, brows lifting a tick. It was nice to settle into the casual flirtation, and definitely nice to think their chemistry survived the light of day.

**"Oh yea? You had somethin else in mind Dr. S? Hope you don't offer that to too many patients"**

The younger man's face slowly heated as his mind moved a few yards ahead of the rest of him. He shifted on his rump, embarrassed and intrigued all at the same time. It wasn't like Nick had been particularly shy about pleasuring him - and it was something he'd be more than interested in repeating.

A coy **"Maybe."** kicked the doctor's response off, leaving much to the imagination of just which question he was answering and what he meant. A blank line announced his abrupt topic change, and Ellis' brows hitched slightly. **"Where are you right now?"**

_ Oops. _

The doctor would be more than upset if he knew Ellis was working at the garage before his arm healed up, the Georgian hesitantly worried his lip between his teeth. He didn't want to outright lie, but he certainly couldn't admit the truth.

Ellis thumbed over his cell's keys for a lengthy moment, hesitantly trying to figure out how he could answer without lying.  **"Just restin"** was his first try, but he shook his head and backspaced quickly.

**"Not where I wanna be ;)"** came out next, but that was quickly deleted too - it somehow felt too forward, and maybe too manipulative on top of that. He was just biting his tongue, deciding on **"Just hangin out with Paul."** because that, finally, was just the right balance between a fib and the truth... when his phone buzzed with a new notification.

Warily, he opened it up, his eyes squinting hesitantly.

**"You're doing something stupid, aren't you?"**

Sighing softly, Ellis flopped his head back slightly against the van behind him. Pouting out his lower lip at the screen, he grimaced, yet felt some amount of resignation. Better he be honest. His fingers slowly pressed out a response, like if he slowed his motions the words would come out apologetic.

**"I'm at the shop."** He did not stop there, though, continuing with a grimace. **"I'm sorry Nick, I just cant sit still that long... it's almost healed up and Im bein careful!"**

Ellis expected silence for at least a few minutes, his mind's eye full of the doctor's expression and that irked sigh he always tried to withhold. When a response flashed in almost instantly, he only felt worse.  **"You're as bad as Keith. I should have given you stitches just so you'd rest... if that would have even stopped you. You two never listen to me."**

**"I'm sorry, Nick..."** Ellis paused with a frown, a flood of regret passing through him as he stared at the words sitting on his screen. Between Keith and him, he realized, they disobeyed the medic's advice much more often than they obeyed them. It must've been frustrating.

The possibility that Nick's agitation was heightened when it came to Ellis felt exciting, but also presumptuous. He buried that thought.

Ellis knew for a fact Keith had been sneaking out of the house while he currently was supposed to be recovering. Meekly, the mechanic finished; **"Ill go home."** He didn't want to argue. Then again, he didn't want to go home, either... but one of those was more important to him.

His phone was silent for a few minutes, each one that passed by making him a little more nervous. He couldn't help but check repeatedly to make sure he still had signal, refresh his inbox, open and close the email app entirely. He nearly jumped out of his skin when it suddenly vibrated in his hands, and he jammed his thumb hitting the key to open it up.

**"I'm coming to pick you up."**

Ellis' brows shot up, confused, his head taking a significant tilt to the side as he eyed the words.  **"What?"** he typed back, bewildered.

The response had barely even sent before another email popped onto his screen with a buzz.  **"I'm closing the clinic early and coming to get you, since you can't be trusted. You can just be bored with me for a few hours. Hungry?"**

Ellis felt a thrill and flood of guilt all at once. He'd hate to cause Nick to completely shut down his place of business, but on the other hand - the idea of time with the doctor excited him like nothing else. And as much as he was looking forward to getting underneath the man again, the verbiage sounded an awful lot like a date.

A confused mixture of emotions bubbled up, an array of doubts that muddied his eagerness. He didn't  _ want  _ something purely physical, but that was all he'd ever really known. He hadn't gone on an innocent date since he'd been a teenager, and the idea of it surfaced a few questions he didn't know how to answer.

The risk of them being seen together in public was considerable, especially in their small-town environs. What if they were seen by someone who knew them, or knew his mom? And even beyond the immediate risk of being found out, would he be able to really relax under the circumstances, or would he be so stiff that he'd ruin things?

Going on a 'date' to a hotel was much, much simpler. He chewed on the thought, expression falling just a little as he mulled over the idea he might, simply, be out of his depth. The idea that he might flub things and embarrass himself to someone with whom his life was already well-entangled with was frightening enough. 

He could not, however, resist a resurgence of that giddy feeling.

He wanted it. Everything about their situation aside, he knew that much. He wanted yet more of what they'd done the other night, but he also wanted whatever tangled, soft thing was beginning between them. Nick's genuine interest in him was something wholly new, and it made his chest burn in a tremendously pleasant way.

Nervously, he had to check.  **"Are you askin' me out to lunch?"**

His gaze flickered over the screen a few times before a response flashed in. When it did he could not contain a soft yelp, quite nearly dropping his phone outright in excitement.

**"If you want to."**

"Bro?" Hearing Paul's questioningly gruff voice from the back made Ellis jump slightly, startled. Before he could get caught with it in his hands, he rushed out an email consisting simply of the garage's address and **"Ok!!!"** , and quickly shoved his phone into the pocket of his coveralls. 

He hustled to get turned around, jumping up to his feet and holding his injured arm up to his chest like it was hurting. He held it there, trying to look meek, gaze up as Keith's older brother, Paul, appeared around the corner of the van.

The man was broadly built, white undershirt tight against his soft belly, shoulders thick where they worked to push his wheelchair over the garage floor. His blonde hair was cut trimmed short, a fuzzy layer only freshly grown past a crew-cut, and a hefty moustache had taken over his upper lip. Nobody - Keith included - had the heart to tell him it looked awful. 

His jeans and his shoes were the cleaner portion of his body, except for the smears of grease and black grit that adorned his thighs in stripes, careless with his immobile lower half.

"Uhh... sorry, Paul - I think I changed muh mind, maybe I shouldn't work tuhday." He hefted his arm to indicate it, grimacing with a bit too much energy. Nervous flutters passed down his spine, but he marshaled his composure; just because the stakes were higher now, didn't mean he hadn't lied to his family before. "'M gonna head home, a'ight?"

The other Southerner grunted, continuing to wheel forward, his wheelchair giving an unpleasant screech as he pulled the brakebar against the front wheel before it had come fully to a stop. He halted just in front of Ellis, one dark brown eye squinted while the other peered up. Ellis might've taken it as anger and suspicion if he didn't know Paul. 

The man just liked giving him a hard time.

"Told you I weren't li'ble if you popped that open." he drawled, simply, and Ellis smiled sheepishly back. "Yer maw dropped you off, huh? Need a ride? Keith's prob'ly free, 'ssumin' he ain't got his dick stuck somewhere."

"I think Clarissa's outta state fer the weekend, so no." Ellis offered, mouth twitching toward a grin. He generally avoided digging too deep into Keith's love-life, but he knew it'd tickle Paul - and the man's good humour was in his best interest.

Paul barked out a cackled laugh that tossed his head back, expression lightened when he returned his attention squarely onto Ellis' face. He winked, moustache trembling as he tried to stifle his smile. "Think that'll make it more likely he's busy, not less, bro. Can't wait 'til she wrecks his ass."

Ellis' mouth opened, but nothing came out as his hip buzzed.  Both of them glanced down toward it, frozen as the single  _ bzzzzzt  _ of a notification sounded out. They both stared as it fell to silence, and as Paul looked back up, all humour had drained from his face.

The man had a big heart, and wouldn't have hurt a fly on a bad day, but that didn't mean he was harmless. The last time he'd disobeyed garage rules, Paul had filled his workboots with gasoline. It had taken weeks before he could even stand to bring them inside the house.

Before he could speak, Ellis bolted, giving the man a wide berth as he booked it across the garage floor and toward the double-wide carport entrance. He felt fingers just brush his sleeve as the Southerner lunged for him from his seat, but Ellis got out of reach before they found purchase.

Paul's voice hollered after him, but there was no telltale sound of his wheelchair squealing into motion, and Ellis slowed to a jog. "The hell did I tell you, you li'l chickenshit piece'uh -" 

"It's like two in the afternoon on'uh weekday, ya lunatic! Ain't nobody comin' 'round!" he shouted back, a laugh hiding at the edge of his voice. "Bye!" He took the time to scramble out of his coveralls, fishing his phone out of its pocket. He wormed free of it and tossed it into the laundry bin just to the right of the exit.

He waved his hand over his shoulder as he ducked out of the garage and into the daylight. It was the prime of summer in Georgia, and the heat blossomed against his skin, humid and faintly oppressive. 

As he walked, he checked his phone, and couldn't help breaking into a grin. His gut tightened til he couldn't help but shiver, overwhelmed with the urge to either sprint down the road or holler, or maybe both at the same time.

**"Subtle. I like it."** Nick had responded. **"See you in fifteen."**

Thumbing out quick text to let his mother know he didn't need a ride home - and then another to Keith, simply, **"If ma asks I'm with you"** , to which he received two thumbs-up emojis and a wink - Ellis took shelter under a stumpy maple tree. A nervous once-over of his clothes had him wishing he'd had more notice.

His jeans were not quite fitted enough, and there was a hole in his T-shirt just along the seam running parallel with his left shoulder - but it, at least, clung to his body half-decently. He rolled his shoulders and rested back against the tree-trunk, settling down into the grass as he tried to settle his nerves.

_ Ain't like he don't know who you are.  _ he reminded himself.  _ And we're goin' to lunch. Ain't gonna screw in the parkin' lot of a burger joint or nothin'. _

Strangely, that made him a little  _ more _ anxious.


	5. Chapter 5

Ellis jumped up off the ground, trying to stifle his excitement when Dr. Soretto's black Mercedes rolled up to a smooth stop just before him. The car had always caught his eye in the clinic's parking lot; it was nice, with silver accents and a clean shine to it. It wasn't blatantly expensive, but very well chosen and taken care of.

The windows were tinted almost to black - past legal limits in most other states, he was fairly sure - but Ellis could faintly see movement as the doctor leaned over the passenger seat and popped the door. He pushed it to swing open, offering a small smirk at the Georgian as the obstacles between them were cleared.

Ellis scrambled forward to jog the distance between where he stood and the car, feeling a flush light up his face as he got a better view of Nick. 

The older man was in casual clothes, but they fit him just as well as his doctor's attire did. He wore a deep green button-up with the sleeves rolled up just below his elbows and black slacks. Ellis could see the way they pulled tight against his thighs, fabric wrinkling at the juncture of his hip.

Conversely, the Georgian couldn't help but feel a bit out of place as he crawled into the passenger's seat. His clothes weren't dirty, especially since he'd been wearing his coveralls, but Nick looked clean and primly put together and entirely mouthwatering. He thumbed nervously at the brim of his cap and screwed it on a bit tighter onto his head. 

"I'm still sorry, Nick." were the first words out of his mouth as he settled onto the seat and pulled his legs in. Closing the door carefully behind himself and letting his palm smooth over the dash, he blinked across the cabin at Nick's face. "Thanks fer, uh... comin' over."

The doctor didn't seem angry. He was clean-shaven, well-slept, and that rugged edge that had surfaced nearly a week previous had disappeared for good, it seemed. Ellis almost missed it... or at least mused at what it would take to bring it back, and what had brought it on.

Nick shrugged up his shoulders in a dismissive gesture. It was curt, perhaps, but nothing abnormal for their all-too-familiar circumstances. It wasn't the first time he'd had to survey the damage done to his work, and he said as much while reaching out one hand, palm up. "I'm used to it. Let me see?"

Ellis felt his face heat up as he glanced at the hand outstretched toward him over the console, lifting up his injured arm to settle his wrist in the doctor's palm. The warmth of his fingers curling to catch against the swell of his palm was enough to make his whole body tingle.

Either oblivious or well-practiced in the art of pretending to be so, Nick leaned in slightly toward him in order to inspect the red line scratched up his forearm, crossed in a few places by the paper closures. His brows twisted together faintly, turning Ellis' forearm softly to either side. 

The Georgian couldn't help but inspect his features, feeling a bubbly warmth threaten in his chest. He knew Nick's concern was natural and part of his job, but it was impossible not to think it might have been deeper than that, now.

Was it silly to read into it all, or silly not to?

"Mhn." the doctor uttered evenly, clucking his tongue against the roof of his mouth. "It looks pretty good, actually. Give it 'til the weekend and you can probably take these off. Still needs time to rest, though, if you can _try_ to sit still."

Ellis smiled with a light chuckle, flexing his fingers. It pulled on the closures and felt a bit strained, though it didn't outright hurt. It was hard to hurt when Nick's warm hands were on his skin, anyway. He wasn't sure if that was a natural quality of a doctor's grip, or just Nick's.

"Y-yeah, man. I'll be good from now on, I promise."

Nick snorted faintly, letting the younger man's arm go with a shake of his head. He gave a sigh, and though it seemed playful at first, there was genuine exasperation there. He replaced his hands on the wheel, although he didn't lift his foot from the brake yet. "You've really proven yourself trustworthy over the last three years. Buckle up, Ace."

That stung a bit, and Ellis felt an abrupt sort of tension, unsure quite how to react to it. He gave a duck of his chin, pulling his seatbelt into place and clicking it in. He shuffled a little down into the seat, lifting a hand to scratch at his cheek.

He felt... chastised, and that wasn't quite the feeling he'd hoped for at their next meeting. He certainly didn't expect it to continue.

"Honestly." Nick still didn't sound angry; the volume of his voice was still measured, and his expression was still muted as it evolved to an irritated mutter. Still, Ellis felt a sinking guilty sensation as the man continued. "You'll tear it open and get an infection, too, hanging around here."

His nerves didn't settle any easier when Dr. Soretto didn't immediately drive off, and the thought of Paul looking outside or checking the rusted-out camera they had set up over the garage's front door. A subsection of his brain wandered toward trying to recall if they'd have been in its line of sight.

 _Paranoid._ he chided himself, wincing inwardly.

"Awh, Doc'... I really didn't mean tuh upset'cha none. I just wanted tuh keep busy is all." he apologized softly, sneaking a glance at the man seated beside himself. He sighed quietly through his nostrils, pulling his cap off his head and setting it in his lap to fiddle with, popping the brim with his thumb.

_Maybe he's just nervous, too, or... maybe this was a bad idea._

Before he could follow that train of thought, Nick shook his head minutely, releasing the brake as if he'd only just noticed that Ellis was buckled. He flicked a quick glance over his shoulder before pulling back into the road, starting the drive away from the garage. 

"Most injured people keep busy with books or movies or just taking a nap... why you figured going back to a dirty garage was a good idea is beyond -"

Ellis hadn't meant to lean away. He hadn't meant to shuffle down and slump his shoulders and peer down at his hat in the displeased way he'd settled into. He hadn't meant to telegraph his discomfort quite so bluntly, but it was clear enough that Nick saw it when he suddenly quieted. 

A thumb tapped on the wheel as his gaze flicked sideways to Ellis' face. There was a moment where neither of them moved, both abruptly aware of the tension there, and neither quick to push against it. Ellis' shoulders lifted an inch higher, lips curling inward, unsure. 

Then, out of the corner of his eye, Ellis watched a slight smirk flicker onto Nick's face. A sigh left him, short, and he pulled one hand away from the wheel, lifting his right up arm in the air, almost touching the roof of the car with the back of his hand. "Forget it."

Ellis glanced up, blinking uncertainly, not moving at first. He wasn't upset, exactly, but doubt bled into the way he examined the man's raised arm.

"I'm not your doctor right now. C'mere."

A smile dawned on his face as quickly as understanding did, and without an ounce of hesitation, Ellis squirmed to adjust his position on the seat. He gently leaned over the dividing space between them, and got himself nestled clumsily against Nick's side, head settling onto the doctor's shoulder. He felt the outstretched arm fall around him as he spoke. "I'll be more careful, honest."

The older man's forearm draped against his shoulder, curling his wrist until it cradled the side of Ellis' head. "No, no. You didn't do anything wrong." Nick sighed out, voice dry. "I don't mean to - sound like I'm angry. Just prefer you in one piece."

Warm fingers slipped into his hair, pleasure fluttering over his scalp as Nick's fingertips stroked along it. He exhaled softly as he closed his eyes, turning his head a little to encourage them onto the space just behind his ear. He uttered a breathless sound of pleasure in place of a coherent response, embarrassingly low.

Nick laughed at it, driving one-handed while he loosely cradled Ellis with his other arm. Ellis felt his laugh vibrate in his chest where his ear pressed into his clavicle, and then felt it expand with an inhale. It was a strangely intimate sort of feeling.

"I have to drive, you know." the doctor pointed out, spreading his fingers in the brunette's curls, the gesture whisper-soft against his scalp in a way that made him shiver. Ellis couldn't see Nick's smirk, but he could hear it in the man's voice, and that alone put a warmth down his spine.

Ellis wormed in denial, pushing his head softly against Nick's palm and rolling his shoulders a bit in the embrace. He couldn't help but feel content, the strangled tension of a few moments previous as far in the rear-view mirror as the garage was. "Yuh only need one hand fer that."

The doctor laughed again, and the way it gentled made Ellis' skin buzz. "Shit. Can't argue with that one." Nick's head turned slightly, though not enough to disturb his vision of the road, allowing him to settle his cheek against the top of the younger man's head. The arm around Ellis' shoulders tucked him into a solid embrace.

It was too much, all at once, and Ellis might've burst if he hadn't broken out with a breathless, "Where're we goin'?"

Nick's thumb found his ear, rubbing along the outer edge of it, softly. It was soothing. "Pizza sound good? There's a little place just outside Hinesville, ain't half bad. Or..." There, subtly but not so subtly that Ellis didn't notice, the man shifted in his seat. "If you don't want -"

"I do." the Georgian rushed out, quickly biting his lip. Their closeness felt less invasive, somehow, since Nick couldn't see his face to see the nervous grin there. "Pizza's good. Ain't picky. Just, uh, glad we're doin' this. I mean... I'm glad you wanted tuh... y'know."

The older man's hand suddenly wandered down the curve of his neck, finding the hole in his shirt just at the top of his shoulder and thoughtlessly slipping his ring finger through it. The pad of his finger massaged against Ellis' bare shoulder, nudging lower until it rubbed over the shape of his clavicle. 

"Kidnap you and take you to the closest thing to a New York slice in two hundred miles?" Nick supplied, voice low where it rustled against the top of his head, and Ellis couldn't help but shiver. "Happy to oblige."

Ellis grinned gently, gaze slanting to watch as a car came around a bend ahead of them, zipping past. The urge to panic and determine if he recognized the truck or its driver surged - and then it occurred to him, pleasantly, that the tinted windows meant no one could see them. 

Ellis let his tongue sneak into the corner of his lips, shifting his right arm to reach down and settle his hand onto the older man's thigh. He felt Nick tense, watched his fingers tighten on the steering wheel. If he hadn't been so close, he might've missed the soft exhale, sharp surprise.

"I'm bein' kidnapped, huh?" he murmured, husking the edges of his voice. "Maybe I oughta be fightin' back, then."

He spread his fingers, squeezing, palming up until the curve between his thumb and index finger cupped into the crux of Nick's hip and he could nudge up against the soft shape of his privates. It would not be soft for long, hopefully.

"Ellis..." the other man started, vaguely. It was a hiss, and far from discouraging. "Don't get me wrong, don't stop, but - you tryin' to make me crash?"

Shifting to turn slightly, Ellis peeked up at his lover, a grin trying to find purchase on his face when he found Nick's jaw just faintly slack and his eyes riveted on the road ahead. It was clear enough that he'd caught the man off-guard, and that was exciting in its own right.

He shrugged his shoulder to encourage Nick's hand away from him, turning his wrist and letting his palm settle fully over the man's crotch. "You can have yer hand back iffin that helps." he murmured slyly, leaning up to press a kiss against the Northerner's neck, just below his jawline.

Nick obediently lifting his arm to settle his hand on the steering wheel gently encouraged Ellis into a deeper lean as it put the man's bicep against the back of his shoulders. That seemed like permission enough, and the Georgian shuffled his hips, settling into a more comfortable lean over the center console.

He reached back and undid his seatbelt, the top strap digging uncomfortably into his shoulder by that point. He heard a slight protest from Nick in the form of a hum, but nothing more than that.

Draping one arm over Nick's knee, he rested down, bending his neck until he could nuzzle his nose against the front of the man's dark slacks. He wandered upwards, touching his free hand onto Nick's waist and tugging his shirt up out of its tuck in his pants' waistband.

He uncovered just enough of the man's belly to brush his mouth against the soft skin below his navel, gratified to feel a shiver pass through Nick's body when he licked the stripe of dark hair there. He dotted a few kisses against the curve of his stomach, following the top edge of his slacks over to his hipbone.

The way the man adjusted, canting his hips up eagerly as he slumped in his seat, read just a little impatient. If Ellis hadn't been just as eager, he might've slowed down just to tease him.

Instead, he hooked a finger behind the button of his slacks, pulling to undo it. The moment it popped free, he used his thumb to push the zipper down. The opening created revealed the soft fabric of black boxers, and he leaned down once more, now nuzzling his mouth into the V-shaped space created by the open zipper.

He mouthed idly at the curve of Nick's cock where it perked up against the constraints of his underwear. He let his free hand wander up, stroking up the midline of his older man's torso until the button-up drew taut against his forearm and he could sneak it no higher.

The car jostled and vibrated gently, but their speed began to drop as Ellis closed his mouth around the plump tip he could feel through the fabric, just beneath the waistband of the boxers, and hushed out a warm sigh against it. He could feel it pulse, and felt Nick's body squirm again. The gesture pushed against his mouth in the subtlest plea.

"Jesus fuckin' Christ." the Northerner muttered, breathlessly, and Ellis had never been so aroused by simple profanity.

Tenderly, Ellis pushed his injured arm up from where it was dangled over Nick's knee, hooking two fingers in the man's boxers to pull them down. The moment he'd pulled them away enough to bare the firm member underneath, he bent down, licking flat against it and letting his tongue flick against the soft curves of its swollen head.

A strained inhale from Nick preceded a hand suddenly alighting on his shoulders, and Ellis closed his eyes as fingers spread against the back of his neck and gripped there, thumb digging gently in beneath his ear. It didn't control his motions, but it did pool an urgent heat in his gut.

He wouldn't have minded pulling over and letting Nick grip hands in his hair, thrust up into his mouth, chasing orgasm - but they had time enough to fulfill all the little thoughts and fantasies three years' time had accrued, and that was a new and exciting idea.

So, he nuzzled forward and used his tongue to curl around Nick's tip, pulling it into his mouth with a gentle suckle. He drew it in just enough to anchor himself, wrapping his lips tightly around the soft, heated flesh and swirling his tongue in circles against it. That was enough to draw a moan from the older man, throaty and soft, and Ellis soaked in the sound.

While he generally considered himself particularly good at the act - as much as anyone could perfect a fairly straightforward endeavour, namely in depth, along with the natural blessing of his thick lips - he couldn't help but notice how hard Nick already was, and how responsive to the touches.

It occurred to him then, for the first time, that he didn't know how sexually active the doctor was.

The thought came in three waves. 

First, _He said he hadn't done nothin' 'like this' in'uh while, but I kinda assumed he meant... sex in public. Not... sex at all. Am I... breakin' a dry spell? Shit. Why's that kinda hot?_

Second was a short-lived spark of jealousy that he strangled down. If he was wrong - the idea of Nick sleeping with anyone in recent memory made him... tense. He hadn't had much experience with relationships, but it didn't take much thinking to know he didn't want anyone touching Nick but him.

It was far too early to entertain _that_ notion, so he dismissed it as best he could.

The third wave was something more like excitement. A buzz built up in his chest, less a sexual interest and more the intense desire to _do well,_ to _please,_ to make it worth it. That, and the abrupt realization that he was succeeding.

Determined, he smoothed his tongue against the bottom of Nick's cock and nuzzled forward, tensing up as much as he relaxed in order to swallow the man down. He felt the grip tighten against the back of his neck, and Nick's body trembled with restraint, like he wanted to buck upwards but resisted.

The car - and Nick's lower half - jolted, just once, and it almost forced Ellis too deep too fast. Then they were still, suddenly, like Nick had pressed the brakes and forced the car to a halt in the middle of the country road. The fact that he'd ruined his lover's composure so thoroughly was a pleasant realization.

Ellis' nose pressed into his pelvis as he bottomed out, eyes watering only gently as rigid flesh filled his mouth and his gag reflex tried valiantly to surface. He let a swallow flex at his throat without letting his jaw cinch closed, inhaling sharply through his nose, holding there as long as he could.

Nick's cock pulsed against his tongue, and he felt precum leak from its tip, traces of a slicker fluid joining the saliva filling his mouth.

"Fucking shit." the man ghosted, voice hoarse. "Fucking _shit,_ sweetheart -"

Just before it felt like too much, he pulled back, finding a comfortable apex at which he could start bobbing his head, relaxing his jaw and letting his lips and tongue cushion against his teeth. With the car no longer in motion, Nick did move his hips, just a soft roll to fuck up into the warmth of Ellis' mouth.

It grew erratic, messy, and saliva pooled in his mouth such that he couldn't stop some from leaking past his lips. His nostrils flared, eyes slitting open, watching what he could of the thick erection slipping in and out of his mouth.

Nick's orgasm took longer than he'd expected, initially, but not nearly as long as it could have. The hand against the back of his neck dug in nails, suddenly, hips twitching as he gave the softest moan.

All at once, Ellis' gag reflex won out as come struck the back of his throat, his spine shivering up as he forced himself to ride out the momentary discomfort. The length in his mouth twitched a few times before it fell still, spent, and Nick's fingers rubbed a shaky path up to pet at the top of his head.

His breaths were ragged and shallow, voice unsteady when he murmured a simple and appreciative, "Fuck."

Ellis gently pulled off him, maintaining some suction as he did so to keep the mess in his mouth from spilling out. He'd have simply swallowed, but he'd let his saliva build up to where he wasn't sure he could manage to do so cleanly, and his body protested the idea much despite himself.

He straightened, Nick's hands moving to gently support him through the motion, and reached to thumb the button to roll down his side window. The moment it was halfway down, he leaned in and spat through it, just once.

The moment he'd regained his mouth, he ran his tongue along his teeth, not minding the husky, salty-sour flavour lingering there. He flicked the button to start the window rolling back up, and began to turn back to face Nick.

He didn't even get to inhale before hands were framing his face, drawing him in halfway as Nick met him in a lean over the center console. He was pulled into a kiss, ravished into melting, only reaching up to touch the older man's jaw as an afterthought.

Nick's left hand started to wander, tracing down his neck, but Ellis gently caught it before it could go too far. He twined their fingers loosely, and Nick broke the kiss at the gesture. Their foreheads pressed together, his shallow breathing leveling as he traced the tip of his nose up the bridge of Ellis'. 

The Georgian couldn't help but giggle. 

"Let me -" Nick started, but Ellis shook his head.

"S'okay. I just wanted to." he murmured. It was hardly his first blowjob without the expectation of any reciprocation, after all. Still, he lowered his voice, feeling his face heat up as he teased, "You can pay me back when we got room fer you tuh fuck me proper."

The doctor gazed at him for just a moment, thumbs petting at his cheeks in soft strokes. A gentleness pulled his lips into a smirk, and he narrowed his eyes. "Here I was, thinking you were a sweet little country boy. But you know I'm not going to be able to have a single thought that isn't half about 'fucking you proper,' not until I can. You like that?"

Ellis' lips curved, and he nudged forward, pressing a chaste kiss onto the other man's mouth. "Hope it won't ruin yer pizza." he returned, cheerily. 

If the look in Nick's eyes was any indication, he was dangerously close to pulling over and dragging Ellis onto his lap.

Ellis wouldn't have said no.

Then a brusque honk, the bleat of a carhorn, made both of them jolt into half-swears. A sedan sat behind them, having come up unnoticed and sat there, unwilling to pass them in the curved bend of the road they'd taken up residence in.

Nick swore, "Tits.", before jolting to grab the steering wheel with one hand while his free hand nudged his softened length back into his boxers to afford him some decency, letting off the brakes and hurrying to accelerate back to a reasonable speed. He flipped off the car behind them - just privately, behind his tinted windows - and let out a sigh.

He seemed exasperated, but couldn't shake the smile fighting for precedence on his lips. He liked it, too, quite clearly.

Ellis grinned, clicking his seatbelt back on and leaning back in his seat, self-satisfied.

_Nevermind. This was a great idea._


	6. Chapter 6

The pizza joint - simply, _Primo's_ \- was fairly quiet by the time they arrived, as was the small bubble of local businesses surrounding it. It was late, past the lunch rush, and there were only a few other patrons in the building when they stepped up to it. The smell of yeast and tomato sauce was enthralling. 

Nick held the door open for him after striding inside, gesturing up to the counter, and Ellis couldn't bite back a flush of nerves. It was a sweet gesture, and it also made him feel terribly out of place. Being in public felt... strange. He felt hurried, claustrophobic, and protested on instinct.

"I ain't a girl or nothin', you don't gotta -" he started, shyly, gaze ticking up to scan the few people he could see from where he stood.

He was silenced, startled, when Nick arched a brow and simply let go of the door. 

It closed between them with a loud _thunk,_ and Ellis huffed out a breath, hurrying forward to push the door open and scamper inside. He found more than one set of eyes on him, then, and his cheeks burned lightly as he scuttled to catch up with Nick, who had gotten halfway to the register.

The older man was laughing, knuckles pressed against his mouth to stifle it as best he could, and Ellis punched his bicep with his uninjured arm. 

"Yuh _jerk._ Quit laughin'!" he hissed, but it was difficult not to break into a grin to match. The sound of Nick's laughter, nasal and sharp and much less restrained than the faint snorts he usually meted out, was quickly becoming a favourite of his. "You wanna get the whole place eyein' us up?" 

Nick's gaze shifted toward him, his laughter suddenly fading and being replaced by a quirked frown. Ellis pursed his lips against the abrupt feeling that he'd said too much.

He hadn't meant it like that - except he had.

For a moment, the older man seemed like he was about to speak - and then he turned away, pointing up at the menu hanging over the counter. "What's your poison? Meat lover's? Or just Italian sausage?" he murmured quietly between them, voice cracking with the beginnings of a smile, even as he mostly hid his face. 

Ellis couldn't help but punch him again once the innuendo registered, scoffing aloud. The blow earned an _'ow'_ from the man as he flinched away... but they were both laughing again, and that felt like a good thing.

He just wished he felt less on display.

It was slightly easier to relax once they'd gotten their food, two slices each, and settled into a lonesome table tucked away into a corner of the dining room. Ellis sipped at his soda, nose tingling with the bubbles jumping aggressively up at him from the fresh-poured beverage, and watched Nick settle down opposite him.

The man wasted no time, grabbing the shaker of parmesan from the center of the table and starting to sprinkle a layer across one of his pizza slices. They were massive in size but fairly flat, the bottoms gently crusted in order to support their width. They smelled incredible.

"So. New York, huh?" he prompted, using his knuckle to brush a few speckles of soda off his upper lip.

"I'm telling you." Nick used his pinky to rap on the edge of his plate. "There _is_ no other pizza. Deep dish? Bullshit. Pan? Deep dish on a diet." Ellis didn't have the heart to interrupt, feeling a swell of affection and burying his smile against his cup's rim as the man continued. "Californian pizza is barely pizza - it's like if you sneezed tomato sauce on pita bread. Who _eats_ that? And the bargain-bin crap you get around here - Jesus wept at goddamn fast-food pizza."

Only when Nick paused did he cut in, clearing his throat. "Uh - no, I meant... Is that where yer from? I know yer degree's from Virginia, so I sorta assumed..." He trailed off, confidence faltering, glancing downward rather than watch Nick's expression fall to a surprised few blinks. "Sorry, dunno if that's... bein' nosy. Just seems wild, me knowin' you so long, but I don't even know where yuh grew up."

The other man's voice was soft when he responded, and Ellis peeked up to find a small smile on his lips. "It was pretty normal, actually, until you kissed me."

A huff made Ellis' shoulders bounce, accusation pushing him into a squint. "You kissed me back."

"I did." Nick's smile widened, and Ellis shifted in his seat. His body had calmed down, erection faded since their dalliance in the Mercedes, but he was now primed and eager to find satisfaction - and the doctor's rapt attention alone did dangerous things to him. "But I've wanted to kiss you since the first day I saw you. One of us has a little more impulse control, apparently."

Ellis bit the inside of his cheek, gaze dropping as his cheeks warmed. That shocked him, just a bit, in an unfamiliar sort of way that he couldn't peg as precisely pleasant.

 _That long...? Guess I wanted him from... day one, but... I didn't think..._ He busied himself with setting down his glass and grabbing the shaker of red pepper flakes, studiously applying far too much onto just the first bite of his two slices. _Goddamn, why's this make me feel so funny? 'N'how come I wish we were still talkin' 'bout pizza?_

When Nick's hand reached out to touch onto the back of his wrist, he stiffened. His gaze wrenched back up, unable to help a glance around the dining room, panicked for an instant. It had felt so much easier in the safety of the car. Now, he felt... exposed.

The doctor retracted his hand as quickly as he'd initially settled it there, putting his fingertips together in a self-conscious gesture. That frown returned, but this time, he spoke. 

"... Was this a bad idea? We can just take it to go, or -"

All at once, a dread flooded him. This had been precisely his concern; he knew he'd get anxious, and he knew it'd show, and he knew he'd make things awkward. He didn't know how to operate around someone in the way Nick seemed to be so comfortable doing. He didn't know how to simply be, and certainly not in _public,_ where people could _see them._

_I'm kiddin' muhself, thinkin'... I can do this. I'm kiddin' muhself'n'I'm kiddin' him'n'... all I'm gonna do is get us both hurt, or..._

"I ain't out."

He said it, perhaps, because the alternative was to let his thoughts spin until they spun out. His eyes widened the moment the words escaped him, and he wanted to reach up and cover his mouth, but he clenched his grip on the shaker and kept his hands low.

They started to tremble, despite himself, and he wanted desperately to sink down and hide under the table. Mortified, he winced, but could not coax his eyes to do anything but remain locked on Nick's. 

It was too early, too soon - or maybe already too late.

Nick's gaze ticked over his face, soft, and his slow nod was an agonizing gesture. "I... got that feeling." he murmured, carefully, cautiously.

Ellis wished he didn't sound so _measured_ \- something ached in his chest, and he found a hundred excuses as to _why_ he was in the closet bubbling up, filling his head, almost reaching his tongue. He felt the need to justify it, but there was no real justification. 

Instead, he just mumbled, "That... bein' so, I ain't real, uh - I dunno how tuh... y'know. I ain't really been on a date in a while. 'N'bein' out here, it's..."

"Makes you feel like a fugitive." Nick offered up, and a tiny smile crossed his lips. Ellis gazed at it, unsure, driven to mirror it just in the interest of not staring dumbly at the other man. "Look, Ace. In a way, we just met. I'm a little rusty on the whole thing, too, so if I push you in a way you don't want... We'll just adjust, okay? Doesn't have to be a big deal."

Ellis gritted his teeth gently, finally convincing his gaze to lower and settle on his pizza, a frustrated noise escaping him. "I-I do - I want this." he mumbled. "I was awful excited, but -" 

"But not ready."

When Ellis looked back up, Nick was looking at him so fondly it made his gut twist into knots. He didn't know if the feeling was positive or not, but he knew that it was good.

Necessary.

If Nick was willing to be patient, and didn't think twice about things with the new information, maybe he didn't need to panic or overthink. Maybe they'd just take it one step at a time, and maybe a step backwards was the first step.

Maybe that was okay.

He picked up one of his slices and bit off the tip, stuffing his mouth full in an abrupt motion, and he felt some relief when Nick obediently followed suit. They both looked down at their plates, chewing, and it was a not-uncomfortable moment of silence.

It gave him a moment to breathe, enjoying the burn layering his mouth from the red pepper flakes, and it also gave him the chance to surreptitiously glance up and examine the other man. Nick had folded his slice in half, eating it sideways, and Ellis blinked twice before trying to mimic him.

The doctor noticed, settling into a gentle grin.

Ellis was fairly sure the change in tactics didn't make a difference in the taste, but he stuck to it, settling back in his chair and taking a moment to swallow and then sip at his soda.

He cleared his throat, aware of Nick's attention centering on him at the sound. He felt hot, again, and as much as a part of him wanted to continue the uncomfortably serious conversation, needed answers, assurances - another part of him wanted anything but. He just wanted to hear Nick talk.

"Keith likes deep dish." he stated, quietly. 

Nick's entire posture shifted, his shoulders tossing back and a hand lifting to gesture toward the ceiling. "Of fuckin' course he does. Leave it to him to like _tomato soup on under-done pizza dough._ Garbage. A disgrace, is what that is."

Smiling past a bitten lip, Ellis jerked his chin up. "I didn't realize yuh had so many opinions on pizza."

"Every New Yorker worth a shit does." Dr. Soretto stated, lifting his glass of water to take a sip. Ellis watched him, realizing there that the man had dodged his question the first time. He smiled, softly, and Nick responded with an easy wink.

Ellis had never put much meaning to the term _swoon_ before that moment. 


	7. Chapter 7

The date ended better than it began, all things considered.

Nick insisted on paying for all of their food, and when Ellis had protested, the older man had leaned in to murmur into his ear. His voice had been low and dangerous and sent heat to interesting places in Ellis' body.

"Reimbursing your co-pay."

Although Ellis wanted desperately to suggest they move to a motel or alley or even just the backseat of the Mercedes - he steeled himself against it, determined to take to heart their mutual realization that they needed to slow down. The doctor dropped him off a few blocks from his house, and the goodbye was much better than their first attempt.

It was hard to kiss the man and not let his hands wander, but he managed.

Things were different, then.

What had started as a tentative line of communication became comfortable, regular. They emailed back and forth at a constant pace, casual, and it became something of a ritual. It did not take more than a few days before Ellis came to anticipate the  **"Morning, Ellis."** and the  **"Goodnight, Ellis."**

It was new, and though it should have been frightening, he found himself craving it. It was nice to have something... consistent, something genuine, even if the casual intimacy was unfamiliar. Nick veered toward flirtation more than once, but it came to nothing, and certainly not an invitation out again.

Ellis wanted nothing more than a repeat of their first night together, but he found himself spiraling into doubt as quickly as he'd found joy. Was it too early to try and entice him to a meet-up? Too late? Had he scared the man off on their date, and the emails were just his attempt to buy time?

If Nick had reconsidered things, would he merely say so, or did the circumstances make that awkward?

But Ellis steeled himself against the thoughts, doing his best to remain calm. He was just frustrated - both literally and sexually - and unused to romantic endeavours that did not tumble immediately into sex. The dance they were doing now was unfamiliar to him, and as pleasant as it was, it was also tremendously confusing.

He'd opened one of his hookup apps on a whim and found a few new messages waiting for him, but reading them felt wrong. He'd never been exclusive before, and he didn't precisely assume that that's what they  _ were _ ... but if he felt jealous at the idea of Nick being intimate with someone else, it seemed only fair to practice restraint.

He wasn't sure he'd have wanted someone else, anyway.

Fortunately, he did not have to wait much longer.

It was a Saturday afternoon, and he was sprawled on his side on the couch watching gameshows with his mother when a notification from his phone startled him. He grabbed for it where it buzzed against his hip, trying to surreptitiously peek at the screen, startled to find an email waiting for him.

It contained, simply, an address.

He didn't have the time to respond back with confusion before a second email came in.  **"Dinner at my place tonight? 7pm?"** As a grin formed on his face, blinding, a third arrived. Nick's tendency to break his messages up was both endearing and anxiety-inducing, emails causing just enough of a delay to put him on edge.  **"I showed you good pizza. Time for the other half of the Italian food pyramid."**

The idea of spending an evening at the man's home was beyond thrilling - and relief flooded him to think the doctor still had designs on him. He couldn't resist a pleased bite to his lower lip, tapping out a quick response before he pushed his phone back into his pocket.

**"I'll be there."**

When he looked up, his mother was watching him from the armchair she was curled up in - but her attention flickered back to the television.

He hesitated, shifting his weight a moment. He knew he should have done a better job of keeping things hidden, but it was difficult to do so when talking with the doctor had so quickly become a staple of his day. His mother was not inattentive, but she wasn't likely to push if he resisted.  He'd learned that more than once.

So, clearing his throat, he spoke up.

"Think I'll go hang with the guys this evenin', iffin that's okay. Might stay the night, dunno yet." Keith had moved in with Paul a few years previous, both to escape his dad and to lend his brother a hand. The man's honourable discharge from the military had been hard on him, along with getting used to his wheelchair. "You'll be okay fer dinner?"

His mother smiled, flapping a hand at him. "'Course, pumpkin. Just let me know if you'll be comin' home. Yer an adult, don't make no difference to me, so long as I know."

Ellis squirmed gently, rubbing at his earlobe with his free hand. He knew what that translated into; she suspected him of something, but he was more than happy to let her operate on false assumptions. Lying to her directly about something more important like that was hard, but if she merely  _ presumed _ he was seeing some girl behind her back... then he wouldn't have to say anything at all.

He'd have to tip Keith off to cover for him again, but the man was well-used to doing so. He didn't question it under most circumstances, which enabled Ellis to keep most of his flings and hookups disguised... though if things with Nick went on much longer, he'd have to be very cautious about misusing the cover. Keith was much more likely to push if he thought something interesting was going on.

"Yeah, sure. I'll call." he promised, before settling back against the couch cushions. His gaze returned to the television, but his thoughts were far-away, removed even from the worry he should have felt about how best to cover his tracks. 

Dinner was nice - but being alone at the doctor's house was better.

He'd been out of his element at the pizza place, but this would be different. He had every intention of making the most of the night, and ensuring that Nick didn't regret the move like he might've regretted their first attempt at a date.

Ellis already had ideas.


	8. Chapter 8

Tilting his head, Nick let his eyes half-close, using the flat of his palm to massage the pasta dough into a rough rectangle. He'd rolled his sleeves up to his elbows, and flour dusted his forearms along with a smear across the belly of his shirt. 

It was soothing to cook, and he needed that.

He wasn't  _ nervous,  _ per se, but his heartrate hadn't settled since Ellis had agreed to come over. It had been a long time since he'd had anything approaching a real date, and an even longer time since he'd genuinely cared for the outcome.

His circumstances had never lent themselves to any real connection with anyone, let alone romantically. He'd been fine with that, for a time, driven only by a need for survival as he moved from state to state - but things had changed.

He had changed, and Ellis had changed him.

He wasn't quite so naive to believe in love at first sight, but there was no better phrase for what it had felt like to have Ellis burst into his life. Even before he'd allowed his heart to get entangled in the situation, meeting Keith and Ellis had been... unique.

They'd adopted him, in their strange way, pulled him out of the dark and tried to unravel the threads he'd bound so tightly together. Ellis' energy was a tidal wave, and as it drew him onward, he'd found himself in a strange and overwhelming position.

It was the last Thanksgiving that had really tipped the scales. It was that day that he'd realized, fully, how lonely he was. 

Sitting at the Walker family dinner table, watching the excited chatter flow on around him, watching Patty laugh like he'd never seen her, even as her son sat wide-eyed and a little overwhelmed beside her... Keith and Ellis arguing over slices of turkey, Paul rolling his wheelchair threateningly toward them as it began to escalate... and Mrs. Walker smiling out over them as if she might burst with pride.

How was it possible that such a happy moment had made him feel so awful? So lonely? He'd walked to his car and leaned into the steering wheel and felt pathetic. He was not meant for that space.

He did not deserve it.

It was selfish to want it.

His laptop chimed from where it sat on the kitchen island, and he dropped the dough down onto the counter and spun on his heel. He sidled up to the edge of the island and leaned down, using the clean end of his elbow to clumsily roll the cursor up to the browser tab that contained his email inbox.

Tapping in, he felt the tension in his body ease to see the email in from Ellis.

**"Omw. Hungry ;)"**

Nick choked out a laugh before forcing himself to turn away. His smile lingered until he'd gotten his hands back on the dough, flattening it out into a sheet. As he carried it to the pasta roller a step to his right, he hesitated.

_ I barely know what I'm doing. Feel like a goddamn teenager with him. It's... easy, isn't it? Easy to fall into sex instead of dealing with anything real. Easy to shut each other up that way. I think that's... what he's used to. _

Moving slowly, letting his fingertips gingerly guide the lip of the pasta sheet into the roller as his left hand drifted to turn the crank, the slim tubes flattening the dough a little thinner, Nick frowned.

_ S'what I'm used to. _

He'd worried over whether or not inviting the Georgian over was a good idea or not. It felt like a line he needed to cross deliberately, carefully.

Ellis had shown his hand, early on, whether he meant to or not. He'd begged - as if he was used to being discarded. As if he'd expected it, instinctively braced for it. It wasn't hard to fill in the blanks between that and the fact he was in the closet with his family: he'd likely not had very many, if any, fulfilling relationships. He expected to be  _ used.  _

_ Easy to say I'd never use him, but I don't always get to decide, do I?  _ Nick's shoulders sagged in a sigh, gaze thoughtful.  _ He might regret getting involved with me. And how's he supposed to make that choice when he doesn't even know he should be? How's he supposed to play the game if I can't even tell him all the rules? _

After a few passes through the pasta roller, he folded the sheet in on itself, squaring up the edges as he did so. He turned the knob on the other side of the slim metal roller, setting the tubes just one notch closer together before he started anew. It rolled out even thinner, then, though far from delicate.

_ Kid's life is a dirty secret. And here you are, making him one of yours. Gotta be careful here, Nick, or you'll hurt him just as bad. _

If anyone found out, Ellis might lose his entire family - and if they had the wherewithal to report him, Nick would lose his license. It was complicated. It was hard. It should have been terrifying.

It was also the only thing he had wanted in a long time.

_ But who's to say he feels the same way? Who's to say I'm worth it to him, like he's worth it to me? If he just wants to enjoy a fling for a while, I... can handle that, I think. But I don't want to trap him in this. I've got to be the mature one here. I've got to... protect him, even if that's... from me. _

A grin surged at his lips, saddened, as he moved to crank the pasta roller to the next setting, thinning the dough further. 

_ Or at least try to be worth it. _

When the pasta reached just the right thickness, he pulled the sheet free of the roller, careful to lay it out on the counter. He nudged open the drawer by his hip and grabbed the multi-teethed pasta cutter from inside, leaning in to start slicing the sheet into noodles.

His gaze shifted to the oven, narrowing dangerously, as if daring the contents to do anything but turn out perfectly.

_ Christ, I hope I'm worth it. _


	9. Chapter 9

Ellis sat in his truck, nervously straightening his clothes. He'd darted out of the house before his mother could notice he'd changed, disinclined to give her any more opportunities to form opinions on his behaviour, and now he was second-guessing himself.

Wearing slacks made him feel like he was going to church, so he'd compromised by wearing his newest pair of jeans. That came with the added bonus of how well they fit him, still shapely around his hips and thighs, and without the wear and tear of his usual clothes. 

He'd put on five different shirts before settling on a salmon-coloured button-up, though he left the buttons undone in favour of showing off the two-sizes-too-tight undershirt underneath. It was the closest he could come to toeing the line between his two main motivations. 

He wanted to have a nice dinner. He wanted to learn more about his lover, wanted to break through the initial hesitance and dismiss some of his concerns. He wanted to spend time together, soft and personal, without the missteps of their first try.

Then, he wanted to get fucked so hard they pissed off the neighbors.

Quickly, biting the inside of his cheek, Ellis fastened buttons up to his sternum so only a triangle of his undershirt and the dip of his throat showed in the space left revealed. After he'd tucked it into his jeans, he grabbed for his phone where he'd tossed it into the passenger seat, glancing to make sure no more messages had come in, and to verify the address. 

The only messages were texts from Keith, which consisted of, **"Goddamnit i was gonna come over & eat at ur place. Asshole"**, and then somewhere around twenty or thirty emojis ranging from tearful ones to infuriated ones to a few zoo animals he was mildly sure were unintentional.

When he looked up at the apartment building he'd parked in front of, he couldn't help but feel some trepidation.

It was nice, from what he could tell - the doors to each apartment were farther apart than Paul's, for sure, which immediately inclined him to think the living spaces themselves were bigger. The building itself was well-maintained, a dark stone facade covering the front, though the sides were grey paneling. 

It was nice, if... plain.

Ellis patted down his body half-heartedly, checking for his wallet in his hip pocket, feeling the slim line of its shape. He'd stowed his usual kit for an outing: two foil squares, one a condom and one a packet of lube. He'd never let an assumption get in the way of his night, and it was reflex to come prepared.

"A'ight." he muttered to himself, almost soothingly, and turned to push his door open. He hopped out of the truck, taking the keys from the ignition as he went, locking it behind himself and pushing the keys in his back pocket. "No sense keepin' him waitin'."

Rolling his shoulders nervously, he approached the apartment building, stepping up onto the sidewalk that crossed in front of the first layer of apartments. There were two floors in total, but Nick's was on the ground-level, the next-to-nearest one from where he'd parked. Jogging forward, he approached the man's apartment, hesitating just a beat before he reached out to thumb the doorbell.

He could only-just hear the chime through the door, and he was fairly sure he heard he heard the immediate shuffle of a reaction.

It was just a moment before the doorknob turned, and when it swung open, he felt his body stiffen. His eyes darted to take in the man's appearance, and what had been nerves turned abruptly into outright excitement.

Nick had donned a dark purple dress shirt, unbuttoned enough to part and lazily show the fur scattered over his sternum. White slacks hugged his hips and put mouth-watering tension over his crotch, and the sleeves of his shirt were rolled up primly to his elbows. He was freshly shaven, clothes as crisp as if they'd just come out of the wash, and the smell of pleasantly sharp cologne flirted in the air.

_Ho-lee shit._

Ellis breathed, barely, and spoke rather than let the silence betray how flustered he felt. "Uh... howdy. I - wasn't sure if I should bring somethin', or..." His hands patted at his stomach, trying for a grin. "Just had shit beer at the house, so, uh -"

"No, no." Nick urged, abruptly leaning forward. His hand caught Ellis' jaw, and the Georgian couldn't do much but melt into it as his thumb stroked against his cheek. The older man grinned, soft and affectionate. "Just bringing yourself was fine, doll."

It took immense restraint not to lunge forward and kiss him.

Maybe something in his face warned of the narrowing of his self-control, because the hand dropped away and Nick took a step back, gesturing into the apartment. He did not wait, turning and striding away from the door. "C'mon. You're just in time. You can help me with the last part."

Ellis caught his lower lip between his teeth, following after the man. He drew the door shut behind him, reflexively turning the deadbolt even as his eyes wandered the living room he'd stepped into. It was a lot like the outside - nice, though plain.

A square of decorative tiling made up the immediate entryway, though the floor turned to a rich brown laminate faux-wood. There was a sizeable space to his right, taken up by an L-shaped tan couch that tucked against a coffee table. A small flat-screen television sat against the wall.

The kitchen was straight ahead, flanked by a dining area that housed only a small table, and the rightmost wall was taken up by two doors. A bathroom and a bedroom, he supposed.

As he pushed his sneakers off he looked around a little more critically. Despite the presence of a bookshelf near the television and a small catch-all table to the left of the door, he did not see much in the way of decoration. There were no pictures, no paintings - no trinkets or personal effects at all. It seemed more like a hotel room than a home, and it was so different from the well-worn ramshackle of his own family home.

For a moment, a sad sensation clenched at his chest. _Don't seem like he's got much, huh? Just... sorta... livin' here. S'nice, but... ain't a home._

The smell coming from the kitchen drew his attention before he could linger on the thought, however, and there wasn't much he could do but brighten his face and hurry after Nick at a gallop.

The laminate continued into the kitchen, and slate-grey cabinets were topped by a marbled white granite lookalike. It was pretty, whorls of silver and pearlescent vein structure throughout it, but it - like the 'wood' flooring - seemed to be a more durable and utilitarian alternative. It was all nicer than his house, even so.

"Whut, you ain't got dinner ready'n'waitin'?" he teased, sliding into the kitchen on the heels of his socks just as Nick stepped up to the stove, where a pot of water was at a gentle boil. A collection of ingredients and spices was lined up in a cluster on the counter to the right of the stovetop. "I look like I came here tuh work?" 

Just a subtle grin over his shoulders preceded Nick gesturing to his right. "Humour me." Ellis glanced to follow it and found two identical wine bottles set there. He didn't know enough to judge them, but they _looked_ expensive enough. "One's for cooking, the other's for drinking. Crack one open for me."

Ellis popped a brow up, but advanced, grabbing a corkscrew from where it had been left beside the bottles. "Cookin' wine, huh?" he mumbled, thoughtfully. He tore off the foil covering the top of the leftmost bottle, and started to work the corkscrew into the cork blocking its mouth. "I make some mean beer-battered fish."

Nick snorted, bending to open one of the lower cabinets beside the oven. He pulled out a high-walled skillet, setting it on the stovetop and flipping on the burner. As he turned, his head tilted, and Ellis was fully aware of the way his gaze trailed up and down his frame. "Guess you'll have to do dinner next time."

As the cork popped free, Ellis set the corkscrew down and grabbed the bottle. He sniffed at its now-open neck, turning to close the distance between him and the doctor, but only slowly. _He's already thinkin' 'bout next time?_ That was tremendously exciting and awfully terrifying, and suddenly the wine in his hands seemed appealing. He lifted the bottle to his lips, only to startle when it was snatched from him.

He gawped at the Northerner - and Nick wagged the bottle at him chidingly, though the grin lit in his eyes and struggling not to surface on his face betrayed him. "Cooking." he repeated with a tap of his pinky against the bottle in his grip, pointing at the other, still unopened one. "Drinking."

Ellis stuck his tongue out at the man in a teasing flash. "A'ight, a'ight. Lucky I like it when yer bossy." He thought he did a good enough job playing off his nerves, returning his attention to the second bottle and doggedly beginning to open it.

He was wrong, clearly.

"You nervous?" Nick murmured, turning to the stove, setting the wine bottle down on the counter.

The question startled Ellis into pausing, and he looked down at the corkscrew gripped in his right hand and hesitated. It was, perhaps, silly to think he wasn't transparent. Slowly, his chin lifted, gaze darting to watch Nick as the man continued to move undeterred.

He grabbed a dark green glass bottle from the counter beside the oven, popping a plastic stopper off the top with his left hand. He tipped it, the nearly-clear liquid streaming out and quickly spreading to coat the bottom of the pan, and then replaced the oil bottle from where he'd gotten it. As he grabbed up a tiny glass bowl full of minced-up garlic and tossed it into the pan, Nick tilted his head and glanced toward the Georgian patiently.

"It's okay if you are, sweetheart."

Inhaling, carefully, Ellis stepped close enough to brush his knuckles against Nick's waist, watching the doctor's posture soften to his touch. "Li'l bit." he admitted. It was a risk - but honesty had served him so far. "I just, uh... y'know. Want things tuh go good. Don't want me messin' things up."

The older man's lips curved, and as he held the pan's handle and swirled its contents in an idle gesture, he reached his other hand up. Ellis had no time at all to prepare himself before a knuckle was hooked under his chin, lifting his face - and Nick bent in to kiss him.

It was tender and leisurely, and Ellis uttered a soft hum in his throat as he melted into the embrace. He had been mildly sure that if Nick touched him he'd simply lose it, pull off his clothes like he was on fire. All his plans would go out the window - he'd beg for it, and he was fairly sure Nick would give it to him.

Instead, he just felt calmed. His attention managed to make Ellis feel utterly out of his depth, and also completely safe.

The hand that was against his chin shifted, tracing fingertips down the curve of his neck before it dipped suddenly to loop around his body entirely, palm settling on his hip. His arm pulled Ellis flush against his hip, tilting his chin away only now that they'd leaned into one another.

His eyes were low-lidded as he watched Ellis blink his back open, and a smile flickered at his lips as the younger man offered a shy one of his own.

"Better?" he murmured, and the brunette nodded. "Good."

It was both a surprise and a relief when Nick made no effort to shake the other man from off his side, arm settling into a comfortable cradle against him as his attention focused back on the stove. The garlic had started to collect in the air, though the kitchen already smelled wonderful.

"Wine." Nick ordered in a mild voice.

Biting on his tongue, Ellis reached out, grabbing for the open bottle Nick had placed on the counter. He held it for just a moment, pausing, and he only began to hum, "Fer cookin' still, or -?"

Nick's thumb and index finger pinched at his waist, enough to goose him and startle him into something halfway between a laugh and a yelp. It pushed him closer, tickled reflexively into Nick's side, and the older man's arm quickly took advantage to tighten further and keep him there.

"Okay, okay, damn!" he crowed, tilting the wine bottle to pour it into the pan, though slowly. He poured out the bottle of wine into the skillet, only a gentle sizzle rising as the first splash struck the heating pan, the sound quieting as the liquid covered the bottom. "Whole bottle? Whut're we makin'?"

The doctor's head tilted, cheek settling against his ear, and his voice remained a soft murmur. "Spaghetti all'ubriaco. Pasta's getting drunk before we do." The accent interlaced in the phrase put a thrill up his spine, and he nudged his head against Nick's in a gentle gesture, affectionate, freezing momentarily as the Northerner added: "And don't worry, there's meat on the menu, too."

This time, it was Ellis who darted a hand to jab knuckles playfully into his lover's waist. The way Nick laughed was unrestrained, a nasal edge to it as he snorted, turning to bury a grin against the younger man's temple.

Ellis' heart ached.


	10. Chapter 10

The food was - unsurprisingly, given the smell of it - delicious. Ellis could barely contain himself enough to keep the conversation afloat, too busy stuffing his face, but Nick seemed far from upset about it. 

The content little smile on his lips lingered regardless, leaned on one elbow on the small dining table. There were no candles, no dim light, nothing that pushed the moment to something tremendously romantic or intimate, but it was comfortable. It was... cozy, but not so loaded and claustrophobic as to bring up a whole different kind of nerves.

It was not so careful and delicate that Ellis didn't find himself relaxed enough to laugh, mouth full of the other half of Nick's dinner: beef braciole. 

That had carried very little meaning to him until it had been taken out of the oven and he'd gotten to look at it, flank steak pounded flat and covered in an herby bread crumb before being rolled into a tight curl. It looked a bit like a savoury Swiss roll... a comparison that had made Nick burst into laughter, much to his chagrin.

The embarrassment was worth it. Making the man laugh was quickly becoming Ellis' new favourite endeavour.

By the time he'd cleared his plate, he was finding out he'd made a mistake in piling his portion as high as he had. The doctor swept away from the table and pulled a small tub of Neapolitan ice cream out of the freezer. As he offered it up, Ellis' stomach gave a protesting gurgle. He was not wholly sure he had the room or the stamina... but he was not a quitter.

They ended up relaxing on the couch, the tub of icecream held between them and rapidly emptying. Nick was seated mostly upright, leaned into the arm of the sofa with his heels braced on the coffee table and his legs crossed. Ellis had his body pulled up tight into a curl, and he'd nestled in against Nick's side before he could second-guess himself.

The doctor's arm slid up to drape over his shoulders, pulling him a little closer, and it was easy to succumb to the warm feeling caused by it when he was driven by a few glasses of wine.

Wielding spoons, they dug in as the original _'Dawn of the Dead'_ played on the television. He'd seen it before - he and Keith had seen, he was quick to proclaim, every horror movie in existence - but that only made it easier to notice something was... off.

Maybe a scene was missing or dialogue went a little differently, he wasn't sure. A few things bothered him, but he wasn't about to make a fuss about it. It had been a few years since the last time he'd seen it, and he wouldn't put it past himself to have simply forgotten how it went.

Then a particular scene came on, and he slapped a hand over his eyes without removing the spoon from his mouth.

"Those are _breasts._ " he announced in an embarrassed bleat, voice raising in pitch when he felt Nick's body shift in a stifled laugh. "Now, Doc', I ain't seen this fer a bit but I _sure_ would'uh remembered if they showed _breasts._ Like, I'd'uh remembered lookin' at Gaylen Ross' _bare-ass_ -" 

Nick tightened his arm around Ellis' shoulders, drawing him closer. "For Christ's sake, you beg me to fuck you in my clinic, you go down on me in the middle of the road, but you can't stand to look at a pair of tits?" he prompted, incredulous past a twist of humor, continuing before he could receive a response. "C'mere, you little prude." 

He shifted, lifting the tub of ice cream and setting it on the coffee table. With his lap freed, he twisted, getting a grip on Ellis' shirt in order to coax him into a half-roll. Nick settled himself with his back to the arm of the sofa, pushing his left leg up and onto the couch and drawing Ellis into the space between.

Ellis obeyed without opening his eyes, and quickly found himself pulled to lay flat atop the older man as he nudged himself prone. His chest settled against Nick's belly and his cheek against the warmth of a pectoral muscle through the other man's shirt. He couldn't help but collapse into the contact, the buzz of wine and an overwhelming fullness drawing a happy and snorted sigh out of him.

He barely noticed there was still a spoon jutting out of his mouth before Nick grabbed the handle of it and pulled it free gently, tapping its end on his nose and then tossing it into the tub of ice cream on the table.

"It's a Euro recut." Nick explained, softer. "Italian, specifically. They cut out a bunch of jokes, so it ends up feeling darker. And they didn't cut out a perfectly fine pair of tits, thank you _very_ much."

Ellis huffed, shifting his arms to stuff his hands underneath Nick's body and hug tightly around his waist. The doctor responded in kind, draping one arm down Ellis' back and letting the other curl over his shoulders. Fingertips sought out his ear, petting his earlobe with a thumb, and the Georgian's eyes reopened just enough to continue watching the movie.

"It is kinda better this way." he admitted. "Man, Keith showed me the original Ring from like, China or whutever, 'n'I didn't sleep fer like two weeks. Foreign horror movies are the shit, man."

Nick's chuckle rumbled up against his cheek, and fingers snagged against his button-up, pulling it a few inches up his spine. His hand smoothed against the small of Ellis' back, stroking over the tight undershirt underneath, and started a gentle knead there. "I need to up the ante to scare you, huh?" It spooled pleasant thrills up Ellis' body, and he might've squirmed if he'd had the energy to.

The portion of his brain that was aware enough to process the situation was awed at it all. He'd never bundled up and snuggled with someone like this, and certainly not without sexual pretense. That led him to the obvious conclusion that there was, much as he'd originally carried with him, sexual pretense.

It happened very quickly, in the sluggish machine that was his thoughts: what if the doctor was waiting for it? What if he was expecting it, and wondering why Ellis wasn't picking up on his hints? What if he was getting frustrated?

It was difficult to focus on the anxiety as it reared its head, and it felt more like a static that he couldn't quite swallow around, couldn't quite see through. He stiffened, fingers tightening against Nick's waist, hyper-aware of the heat building between their bodies. Their positioning had Ellis' belly nestled between the doctor's thighs, and it wasn't difficult to pick out the soft-but-considerable bulge there.

But when his chin lifted, faintly, he realized Nick wasn't focused on him at all. The man's eyes were focused squarely on the television, though low-lidded, clearly enjoying a fuzzy haze quite similar to Ellis'. He forced himself to settle back down and soak in the sensation.

The soft stroke against his ear and his back, in gentle unison, slowly dragged him into a fuzzy relaxation. Ellis buried his mouth into the soft shape of the older man's chest, feeling fingers thread through his hair and stroke against the nape of his neck. The touch encouraged him closer, and the arm against his back tightened.

It was nice.

He didn't mean, strictly, to fall asleep. The soothing white noise of the TV coupled with the dark room, curtains drawn, made for a comforting environment. It only made sense to feel safe, buried in Nick's arms; trust felt only natural between them. Those hands had healed and soothed him, protected him, for years.

The rise and fall of Nick's chest and the sound of his heartbeat thumping against his shoulder - let alone the weight of his grip and the self-consciousness that should've come along with the embrace - no doubt would have kept him from relaxing without the numb glaze that came from a heavy buzz. In any other circumstance, he'd have struggled with the unfamiliar feeling of another body so near his.

But he felt like he belonged.

When he awoke, it was with a jolt and an instinctive scramble of his limbs to gain purchase against the body still beneath him. His own movements started a stiffer, sluggish motion from Nick, who tightened the embrace he had around the younger man's body.

Ellis startled, getting his palms flat against the man's chest and pushing just an inch upwards, though the arms around his waist kept him mostly flat. Nick's grip kept him firmly held, even as the doctor's eyes fluttered open and he came to awareness.

"Oh - oh, shit, I -"

The apology and hazy panic that sprouted must've been clear, because Nick unwound one arm and reached up to settle his palm against the side of the Georgian's neck in a soft touch. The older man blinked a few times, widely, and fought to speak for just an instant before a yawn overtook him.

Past the faint moisture collected in his lashes with the gesture, the doctor shifted his head, gazing curiously up at the younger man.

"That was nice." he murmured, and the sincerity in his tone softened Ellis' tension. "Haven't napped in a while."

Ellis' lips curved, and he might've settled back down, had a distant thought not struck him. He turned his chin, and across the living space, he could see through a slim window built into the wall. It was dark outside. They must've been asleep for an hour, if not a little more - and he grimaced, despite himself.

Calling his mother was not high on his list of priorities.

When he looked back toward his lover, Nick's brow was arched, and his gaze flickered around the younger man's face. "Everything okay? You turning into a pumpkin?"

Quickly, Ellis leaned forward, impulsively ducking his head to kiss him rather than answer the question. The doctor easily acquiesced, and what might've been a simple peck quickly deepened. The taste of wine lingered between them, and with their bodies flush the way they were, it was too easy to get drawn into pushing down against him, crawling up to nestle their hips together, grinding there... 

But he broke the kiss, eyes closed, tipping his head until his temple brushed Nick's. "Were you -" he started, but balked, before trying again. "I mean, is it okay, if -" 

"Stay."

The command came brusquely, almost hoarsely. The older man's fingertips trailed to brush against his cheek, soothingly, and Ellis felt his spine shiver. Affection very quickly translated into eager heat, though Nick's tone moderated to something like diplomacy. 

"If you want to. It'd be... shitty of me, to get you drunk and let you drive home. So if you want to go, I'll take you, but I'd rather you stay."

Ellis felt a wild urge to slip his hands between them and erase any and all misgivings about what he _wanted_ \- but he didn't, holding his muscles rigid by what limited self-control he had. He spoke, instead, tone tilting toward accusation. "You drank, too. Ain't neither of us should be drivin'." 

He couldn't see all of the doctor's expression from his current vantage point, but he could see the wrinkles form at the edge of his right eye as he broke into the smallest smirk.

"Guess we're stuck here, then, Mr. Walker."

That sent a dangerous warmth streaking through him, and he must've cut his breath short or otherwise telegraphed it, because even through Nick's slacks, Ellis could feel the sudden twitch of the other man's mostly-soft cock where it was trapped against his belly. That smirk widened.

Yet, somehow, Ellis persevered, white-knuckle focus keeping his secondary brain from taking over.

"I, uh... I didn't think... y'know. I didn't bring nothin'." When Nick's fingers crooked under his jaw and pulled him until his face was bared, brows raised curiously, Ellis hurried to elaborate. "Like, a toothbrush'n'shit. I wasn't thinkin' you'd... Didn't cross my mind, uh..."

When he trailed off, the older man stroked just once at the curve of his lower lip, the touch soothing and also quieting. Nick spoke with some delicacy, gauging Ellis' reaction with a critical eye. "I... may have prepared for that."

All Ellis could muster was a blink and a startled, "Huh?"

The doctor's expression warmed, and the arm still wrapped over Ellis' back lifted away. Ellis reluctantly took the silent hint and pushed up from and off of the other man's body, sliding to sit upright on the couch. Nick straightened up next to him, and his hand settled instead on the Georgian's thigh. 

"I grabbed a few things when I was shopping for dinner, in case you stayed the night. So, yes, it's okay if you stay." Mischief entered his voice, there, and the grip on Ellis' leg slid just an inch higher. "I can take the couch, if you'd rather -"

That, finally, was too much, and Ellis reached out to grab the man by the front of his shirt. Nick seemed unsurprised as he was pulled forward, and they melted together as much as they could with their knees bumped together, crammed close on the couch.

When that did not feel close enough, Ellis shifted, pushing his heel against the floor to leverage his body up and push into the Northerner's lap. An arm circled around his waist and pulled him closer, and he let himself grind down against Nick where he had the man's thighs straddled.

Then the doctor stood, and Ellis yelped out as he scrabbled for purchase, instinct kicking in as Nick's grasp became the only thing keeping him aloft. The older man cradled underneath his ass, fingers linked, and grinned as Ellis looped arms around his neck and legs around his hips and crowed out a protest.

"Jeez, Nick, easy!"

Laughing just softly, Nick tipped his head forward until his mouth brushed Ellis' neck. He began to step forward, circling the couch, and heading across the open space toward the bedroom door. His arms strained, but it did not deter his flirtatious tone of voice. "With you here? Very hard, actually." he murmured. "But I'll let you clean up first. This apartment has one thing, and that's a very nice shower."

The Georgian had no interest in escaping his lover's grasp, precisely, but even his half-hearted squirming halted at that. All-too-used to the regular cold flashes in his tub-shower combo back home, he was almost distracted entirely from his mission, and any nerves that might have stirred.

He'd spent the night with a one-night-stand before, but it had been comfortable by virtue of how little it mattered. His morning breath didn't matter when he'd never see them again. The noises he made in his sleep didn't matter. The tics and nervous fumbles didn't matter, in the long run, when he'd go home and never hear from the person again. 

They mattered, now, and the idea of some mistake, some _incompatibility,_ causing a rift between them was terrifying - but Nick was hardly a stranger to him. They'd talk. They _could_ talk, at least, which felt new to him

When he craned his neck to steal a glance at the face so near his own, he saw the subtlest smile on Nick's lips that did not feel entirely meant for his eyes. The man seemed pleased with himself, like carefully-laid plans had gone well, though he quickly swapped to a roguish little grin when he noticed the younger man's attention on him. 

Ellis hoped, tender and small and deep in his chest, that he was worth the trouble. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank u aghxst for blessed inspiration


End file.
